


A (Not So) Silent Night

by SageMcMae



Series: After Hour Cock-tales [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, An Actual Plot Formed Here, Arch Rivals, Ben knows he can take whatever he wants, Bets & Wagers, Co-workers, Dirty Talk, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Inappropriate Use of Company Property, Luke Cockblock Skywalker, Minor Cassian Andor/Jyn Erso, Mutual Pining, Office Romance, On-Air Sexcapades, Radio Host Kira Kenobi, Radio Host Kylo Ren, Rey is in denial, Shameless Smut, Smut-Hut Vibes, Under-Desk Blow Jobs, holiday romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-18
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-09-25 09:33:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17118827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SageMcMae/pseuds/SageMcMae
Summary: Arch rivals Kira Kenobi and Kylo Ren have been fighting for number one status all year. Then Kylo claims he can make her "sing" for him by New Year's Eve. Winning should be easy. It's not like she even likes him, right?





	1. (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is 100% the result of my drinking escapades on Friday night and my utter lack of self-control when it comes to the number of WIP's I am writing. I dedicate this work to the thirsty ladies of CaP. 
> 
> A special thank you to my two enablers [PD3](https://polkadotdotdotreylo.tumblr.com/) and [Robyn](http://reysexualkylo.tumblr.com/) for encouraging me to write this steamy session. Cheers to you, ladies! And thank you again, [Robyn](http://reysexualkylo.tumblr.com/) for beta-ing!
> 
> Without further ado, I give you the smutty radio AU no one asked for...

 

 

Rey Niima slammed her apartment door shut, muttering curses under her breath as she entered her apartment like a whirlwind. She dropped her backpack to the floor with a heavy thud and made for the kitchen.

 

 _That cocky, son-of-a-bitch_ , she seethed, grabbing a bottle of water from her fridge.

 

As the door shut, her eyes fell onto a flyer for tonight’s event and the jerk who currently ran the station like it was his own personal playground.

 

Kylo Ren and his morning talk show, the First Order were respectively the high-grossing radio personality and the show with the highest viewership in the greater Philadelphia area. His platform was all about male-dominated topics and crude humor.

 

While Rey would rather live in Jersey than share a studio with him, she didn’t have the financial freedom to move just to spite her coworker. Even though Kylo had an incurable asshole-complex, he was untouchable. It was his family who owned and ran the radio station. His grandfather had founded it back in the seventies. He'd past it on to his son. 

 

When Mr. Skywalker offered her the job as a radio deejay for the late night shift two years ago, Rey had jumped at the opportunity. Freshly out of high school and in dire need of a paycheck for the incoming bills which were about to hit, she was prepared to take anything. She worked hard, offering to take on extra shifts and additional tasks, which included fixing some of the studio’s aging equipment. Eventually her position turned into covering for other radio personalities while they were on vacation and then finally she was pulled into the main office to discuss the opportunity of hosting her own show.

 

Her alias on the air was Kira Kenobi. While her show, _Kicking Back with Kira_ , wasn’t the top grossing, she’d definitely shown the most growth month over month. After only one year, her numbers rivaled Kylo’s but she hadn’t beat him. Still, they were close enough for Mr. Skywalker to bring it up at the last all-employee meeting. The announcement had resulted in a chair being thrown across the office and a broken lamp. Tension between the two radio personalities had been high ever since, until Kylo finally pushed her to her breaking point. 

 

Which led to today’s blow-out in between their shows.

 

* * *

 

**Several hours earlier...**

 

“As we enter the holiday weekend, I want to remind you all, it’s not cute to spam your coworkers' inboxes with pictures of your kids or your pets. Newsflash. No one wants to see that. You know what they do want to see? A gift card to Wawa.”

 

Rey rolled her eyes from where she stood in the next booth over, shaking her head at the rude antics of Ben Solo, or as he was known on-air, Kylo Ren. She preferred to call him the Supreme Leader of Douche-baggery and asshole extraordinaire.

 

He shot her a wink when he caught her listening in on his broadcast and didn’t that just put the icing on the cake?

 

“Fucktard,” she hissed under her breath.

 

“Now before I sign off for the weekend, I wanted to give a shout-out to our very own Kira Kenobi.”

 

Rey snapped up so fast that she had to grip the sound board to steady herself from the head rush she gave herself. Ben’s mouth twisted in an amused smile. God, she would give her left kidney to be able to smack the smug right out of that bastard!

 

“Kira’s show is in the running with First Order for the most listened to in the tri-state area. Congrats, Kira,” he flashed her a wolfish grin.

 

Rey could feel her hands clenching as she waited for the bomb she knew he was about to drop. He was simply too happy about her numbers. What was he playing at?

 

“In the spirit of the holiday, I’ve decided to settle this long-running competition with a little wager,” Ben continued, his eyes never straying from her face.

 

Out of her peripherals, Rey saw Mitaka waving his arms wildly, cautioning Ben to not continue while on-air, but the Dark Prince never followed the rules. So why would today be any different?

 

“I bet I can get Kira to,” he paused, a flicker of something primal darkening his eyes, “ _sing_ for me by New Year’s Eve.”

 

Mitaka looked like he was about to faint and there was now a crowd forming outside the booths. Their coworkers were murmuring, clearly unsure if this was an office prank or another one of Ben's terrible attempts at humor. Regardless of their on-air and in-person audience, neither Ben or Rey moved.

 

“What do you say, Kira? Up for a little fun?"

 

She shook her head, mouthing, "No" to him.

 

"Might do you some good, sweetheart,” he snickered, his meaning evident.

 

Oh, it was on!

 

She switched the on-air button to the side, ignoring Mitaka’s signals through the narrow window in her booth door.

 

“What’s in it for me, Kylo?” she challenged.

 

“Besides the best night of your life, Kira?”

 

Her cheeks reddened from his forwardness, but she didn’t let him rattle her. If growing up under the care of Unkar Plutt had prepared her for anything, it was that life could send you a few hard knocks. Kylo's antics didn't even register on her spectrum.

 

“I think you’re getting ahead of yourself," she replied, voice sounding bored. "But that’s nothing new. You always were, what’s the word? Premature?”

 

He chuckled. That bastard actually had the gall to chuckle. “I think you’re confusing me with the other men in you life, but alright, sweetheart, name your terms.”

 

“You have until 11:59pm on the thirty-first. If by then you haven’t made me, as you so delicately put it, sing for you, you move to the number two slot and I get number one for a full year,” she proposed.

 

“And if I do?”

 

“Won’t happen,” she replied, crossing her arms over her chest, as she met his gaze with a defiant stare.

 

“We’ll see,” he purred. “You know I can take whatever I want.”

 

Rey didn’t respond.

 

“Fine,” he nodded. “If you win you get number one, but if I win, I get gloating rights unconditionally for all of 2019 and...” he trailed off dramatically. 

 

“And?” she prompted.

 

“And you fix the broadcast tower,” he finished with a smirk which could rival the devil’s.

 

“You’re on,” Rey blurted out before she realized what she was agreeing to.

 

“And there you have it, folks! Happy Holidays from Kylo and Kira at your favorite station, 104.5, the Force. Kylo Ren out.”

 

Ben switched off his mic, turning the station over to a set of commercials. As he removed his headphones, Rey switched off her own controls. Flinging the door of her booth open, she barely avoided running over Mitaka as she stormed into Ben’s room.

 

“What the hell?”

 

“It will be great for ratings,” he shrugged, not even looking at her as he packed up. He appeared totally unaffected, as if he ended his last set before the weekend with a bet clearly not sanctioned by their supervisor or the HR department. 

 

“Ratings! Are you serious? You just told everyone we’re going to have sex! On the air! My friends listen to this station!”

 

“Well, I'm glad they have good taste. Just remember, you agreed to it, sweetheart,” he graced her with a wink over his shoulder then closed up his satchel. "You could have declined."

 

“I...I was-.”

 

"But maybe you didn't want to, huh?" Ben's eyes locked on hers. "Maybe you're still thinking about last year...and that kiss." 

 

She snorted, rolling her eyes. "If you can call _that_ a kiss." 

 

"You seem awfully defensive about it," he remarked. 

 

"Because it was rubbish!" 

 

"All the more reason for me to make it up to you," he pointed out. "How about dinner?" 

 

"You want to take me to dinner?" she furrowed her brow at him. 

 

"Is that so hard to believe?" 

 

"Why would you think I'd agree to that?" she inquired. "You told everyone you were going to sleep with me."

 

“I thought you said it would never happen,” he shot her a knowing grin.

 

“It won’t,” she insisted vehemently, but a tendril of doubt settled in her gut.

 

Ben shifted, suddenly precariously close to her. He cupped her chin in one of his broad hands, stroking his thumb over her bottom lip. “Are you sure about that, Rey?” She nodded wordlessly. "Then what's the harm in dinner together? It's just a meal between colleagues." 

 

The way he said it made her believe it would be anything _but_ a meal. Her core constricted, heat flaring through her from his touch. Her traitorous heart beat wildly and her mouth went dry. He always talked dirty on the air. It never affected before, so why was this any different?

 

“I think you’re going to end up being on the naughty list for lying,” he breathed against her ear before leaning in even closer.

 

Rey heard her breath hitch in her throat but before he could follow through on what she was sure was a kiss, Luke slammed the door wide open. Rey jolted, backing away from Ben instantly.

 

“You two! My office! Now!”

 

“No time, old man,” Ben gritted out. “I have an interview across town.”

 

“Like hell you do,” Luke snarled. “After you made Kaydel Connix cry at the last one, no one wants to interview you.”

 

Rey stifled a laugh, recalling how upset the blonde reporter had been after her Q&A with the famed radio star. Ben’s gaze honed in on her, momentarily annoyed, but then he smiled.

 

“Alright,” he conceded. Luke gave a curt nod and headed towards his office. Ben gestured to Rey, “Ladies first.”

 

Naively, she followed Luke from the booth, containing a yelp of surprise when she felt the same broad hand from earlier settle on her lower back, a bit further south than was professional.

 

She shot a glare back at Ben, who pointedly ignored her. Rey opened her mouth to call him out on it, when he suddenly grabbed her wrist and dragged her into the break-room. Before she knew what was happening, he was locking the door behind them and pressing her up against it.

 

“Now...where were we?”

 

Rey wanted to slap him or maybe knee him in the groin — that was sure to discourage any of his future attempts — yet she didn't. She remained pinned by his eyes and his hands, unable to break away. Rey was starting to think that was because she didn't want to. 

 

The kiss Ben had mentioned in the booth played through her mind. It had occurred last year at the radio station's holiday party after she'd had a couple of Yuengling's. Rey hadn't been drunk, but she'd let her hair down — literally and figuratively. She'd been celebrating the fact she'd be starting 2018 with her own show and hadn't bothered to notice a pair of dark eyes watching her. So when Ben had come over to introduce herself, she was unprepared. Her colleagues had warned her about the violent tempered nephew of Luke Skywalker. Rey expected him to tell her off, a classic senior staff member tactic. Instead, he'd offered to get her a beer and they spent the next twenty minutes discussing who had the best cheesesteak in the city. She nearly hugged him when he announced Dalessandro's on Wendover was his favorite.  

 

Their taste in food wasn't the only thing they had in common. It turned out they were both avid Flyers fans, though they weren't fans of the mascot. "He looks like something out of Jim Henson's Creature Shop...of Horrors," Ben had said, causing her to laugh and nod her head in agreement. 

 

They gone outside to get some air for a bit after that, using the fire escape to go to the roof. While they were standing wordlessly up there, staring out at the city lights, Ben had wrapped an arm around her. It had been effortless to rise up on her tip-toes and meet him. The second his lips found hers, a spark ignited between them. They'd broken apart, laughing it off as static and gone back inside. 

 

All things considered, their first meeting had gone well...up until the point Luke stopped by.

 

"Ben, so glad to see you engaging." 

 

"Whatever," Ben had grumbled, taking a long swig of his beer. 

 

"I see you've met, Rey," Luke had continued, not paying any mind to his nephew's sullen attitude. "She's going to be our new host, taking over for Jessika." 

 

"What?" Ben's brow had creased and the smile he'd worn previously fell away completely. "But she's untrained. Why would you give her a shot?" 

 

And there — right there — was when Rey had realized everything her colleagues told her about Ben Solo was one-hundred percent accurate. 

 

He'd been challenging her ever since. Today was just the latest in series of attempts to run her out of the station. She was sure of it. What she wasn't sure of was why he was looking at her so intently. 

 

The intensity with which he started at her was wholly unlike any look she’d ever received from him before. He reminded her of a starving man, completely desperate and hanging on by a thread. His lips were parted and she could see one of his veins pulsing rhythmically on his neck. He didn’t appear as in control as he normally was. 

 

She had always suspected his arrogance was a facade, a mask he wore to keep people at a distance. What she didn’t know was why.

 

It wasn’t until now that she realized she’d never thought to ask.

 

When she didn't pull away from him, he leaned in. “All you need to do is say, yes, Rey,” he crooned, his lips hovering over her pulse point. “Just dinner and then we can do whatever you want. Promise.”

 

She swallowed the growing lump in her throat, not trusting her voice to speak. What he still talking about the wager or was this something else? Something more?

 

Rey had to admit, it had been an embarrassingly long time since she’d gotten any satisfaction, at least from something other than her own hands. His offer was tempting, especially when he was invading her senses, crowding her against the door. She couldn't deny he was an attractive man. He was massive in every aspect of the words. Tall build, broad muscular frame and a presence which dominated any room he walked into. Combined with his ink black hair and chocolate orbs, he was hard to resist. He looked like sin and he had the mouth to prove it. If it weren't for his personality, she would have invited back to her place last year. 

 

“Ben!” Luke’s fist banged against the door, hitting rather close to where Rey was.

 

His nephew scooped her up as if she weighed nothing, carrying her away from the distracting noise of the station owner. Instinctively, she clung to him, linking her ankles behind his back and her hands behind his neck. He gently sat her down on the counter, nudging her knees apart so he could stand between her legs.

 

"Can I kiss you again?" 

 

She gave him an almost imperceptible nod, feeling as out of control as he looked. 

 

He brushed a lock of hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear with far too much tenderness. 

 

She didn’t have time to analyze the action before he was tilting her head back so he could have access to the column of her throat. His lips descended on her, kissing a line up from the collar of her shirt. While he worked his way to her earlobe, his hands drug her forward so she could feel him through her jeans, pressing into her center. Apparently he was just as massive in that department as well. She swallowed a groan when he rolled his hips. 

 

Ben licked the flap of skin before he bit down and sucked it into his mouth. The sensitive spot had her wanting to cry out, but Rey clenched her jaw and grabbed onto the counter’s edge.

 

She refused to make a sound. His touch felt good, but not good enough for her to forget about the number one slot.  

 

“Are you gonna make me beg, Rey?” Ben asked after releasing her earlobe with a slick pop. He straightened up, peering down at her expectantly.

 

Rey exhaled slowly, trying to quell her raging hormones long enough for her to form a coherent thought. It was easier to think when he wasn’t flush against her. She took a couple of deep breaths, her hands releasing the counter top, as clarity returned. 

 

“That all you got, Solo?”

 

“Oh, sweetheart, don’t worry. I’m just getting started with you.”

 

It sounded more like a promise than a threat. And why did that thrill her so much? 

 

He ducked down again, his hands on her hips when the break-room door blew open. She felt Ben’s hands tighten around her possessively as their boss barged in for the second time that morning.

 

“Rey, you’re on the air!” Luke barked. “Ben, my office now. I’m not going to ask you again.”

 

Shimmying out of Ben’s hold, Rey dashed out of the room, keeping her head down so her co-workers wouldn’t see her burning cheeks.

 

“See you later, Rey,” Ben called after her.

 

She didn’t have to look back to know he was wearing his signature shit-eating grin.

 

* * *

 

**Present**

 

Rey expected him to be waiting for her when she finished, but he’d already left. Luke chastised her for letting Ben rope her into one of his rating schemes and sent her home with a warning. It was the first time in her entire career she’d been disciplined by a supervisor. She rode the bus to Roxborough, seething internally and wondering if she’d watched enough episodes of CSI to successfully pull off murder.

 

As she stood in her kitchen, her half-empty water bottle in hand, Rey contemplated how to spin the challenge. Was there a way she could twist it around to show Luke she was thinking about the station’s best interests instead of her own stubborn pride. With an annoyed huff, she searched alternative marketing strategies on her phone searching in vain for an option she could use.

 

Just then her phone rang. Her face tensed when she noticed who it was.

 

“Hey, Finn.”

 

“Rey! What the hell?”

 

“So I guess you heard, huh?”

 

“It’s all anyone in the office is talking about,” he told her.

 

Rey held her cell away from her face as she groaned. Finn worked in City Hall for Mayor Leia Organa. If his office mates were discussing her bet with Kylo Ren, she didn’t even want to think about what her social media accounts looked like right now.

 

“Kylo’s fans already started a countdown page and I saw someone tweeted about a betting pool,” Finn went on.

 

Seriously? Could it get any worse? All because one pompous ass couldn’t keep his di-

 

“Your fans have your back though,” her best friend continued. “They started a hashtag movement. They’re calling it #SolidarityforKira.”

 

“Great,” she mumbled.

 

“They’re claiming they are all going to stand with you. They are boycotting Kylo's show and encouraging people not to go to the concert tonight,” Finn informed her.

 

“Wonderful,” Rey replied sarcastically. She was positive Ben’s fans would have a field day with that. She hoped this wouldn't get her in more hot water with her boss. 

 

“Just thought you should know,” Finn sighed, defeatedly. “Hey, I have to get back, but let’s meet up for a drink when Poe and I get off work, yeah?”

 

“Sure,” Rey agreed. “I’m going to need it.”

 

They said their goodbyes and Rey flopped down on her couch, rubbing her temples. What a day! As if the end of the year wasn’t stressful enough with holiday parties and trying to find the perfect gift for her small family of friends, now she had this stupid competition to worry about, which apparently had started an all-out war on social media. All due to Ben Solo.

 

Oh yes, he was a right wanker, one who she planned on avoiding like the plague for the next — Rey glanced at the calendar pinned to her wall — ten days.

 

After all, how hard could it be? It wasn’t like she actually wanted to have sex with Ben. Right?

 

But there had been that kiss...

 

The way he'd look at her then, just before Luke burst in, hadn't been a typical Ben look. It hadn't been a typical Kylo look either. It was something else, something she couldn't put a name to.  

 

Lamenting about it wasn’t going to change her current predicament, so she decided to get a shower and order delivery. Finn and Poe wouldn’t be done with work for a few more hours and she was too hungry to wait for them. She ordered a pizza from The Couch Tomato, before padding into her bathroom and stripping down to wash up. Under the hot spray, she felt the tension ease from her muscles. Slowly, her head started to clear and the irritation from her day slipped away along with the water down the drain.

 

When Rey stepped out, she wrapped herself up in a fluffy green towel. She combed through her hair, applying a quick spritz of anti-frizz before blowing it dry. As she straightened up, she heard a knock at the door.

 

They seemed to be early. With a shrug, Rey made her way to her bedroom to throw on a pair of sweats to answer, when the knocking became more insistent and louder.

 

“Alright,” she called. “Alright, I’m coming.”

 

Rey rushed to answer it, afraid the delivery guy would leave and she’d be without her dinner. She undid her locks and flung the door open.

 

But it wasn’t pizza.

 

It was Ben.

 

He grinned at her shocked face, his overall smugness increasing when he saw what she was (or wasn’t) wearing. “Hey sweetheart, told you I’d see you later.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Philly-isms  
> \- [Wawa](https://www.wawa.com/) (local convenence store/gas station)  
> \- [Yuengling Lager](https://www.yuengling.com/)  
> \- [Dalessandro's ](https://dalessandros.com/) (they really do make the best cheesesteaks!)  
> \- [The Couch Tomato](https://www.thecouchtomato.com/)


	2. Knockin' on Heaven's Door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben attempts to make good on his wager with Rey...with varying results

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, Reylo-fam!
> 
> Thank you to my brilliant beta, [Robyn](http://reysexualkylo.tumblr.com/) for getting this turned around so quickly!

 

When Ben Solo decided to pay Rey Niima a visit after work, he hadn’t intended to catch her just out of the shower. But he wasn’t complaining. Not one bit. 

 

“Hey sweetheart, told you I’d see you later,” he smirked.

 

If he hadn’t intended to catch her in a towel, dripping wet, she certainly hadn’t expected him on her doorstep. 

 

Which was why when she moved to slam said door in his face, he shoved himself in. Rey’s eyebrows jumped to her hairline and she backed up, clutching her towel against her. 

 

“Nice place,” he remarked, shutting the door behind him. “It’s a good look on you,” he inclined his head to the towel. 

 

“Don’t start,” she rolled her eyes and moved through her apartment to her bedroom. She slammed that door harder than necessary and he heard the lock click into place

 

He followed, chuckling softly. It was so easy to get a rise out of her. He lived to torture her. The way her nose scrunched up and her eyes narrowed were always clear indicators he was on the right track. It had become his favorite hobby. 

 

Everything started roughly a year earlier during the company’s holiday party. Up until that point, Ben hadn’t met Rey and he certainly didn’t know she was about to take on the role he’d worked years for. 

 

As with years past, he found himself off to the side, drinking his Lager while he counted down the minutes until he could slip out unnoticed. The typical banter was going on between the various members of the staff. Mitaka was trying to impress Gwen Phasma, their legal counsel. Hux was playing hard to get with Tico and his uncle was nowhere to be seen. 

 

It was the same every year. The same people. The same pointless conversations. The same brainless idiots he worked with day in and day out. 

 

And then he saw _her_. 

 

Smiling as bright as the lights on the Comcast Center and even more vibrant. She was sipping a beer while she spoke to Wexley near the bar. 

 

Ben swallowed, finding his mouth dry as he watched her interact with his coworkers. Was she someone’s date? Someone’s girlfriend? God, he hoped she wasn’t someone’s wife. 

 

Before he could stop himself, he was walking over to her. Wexley saw him coming and made himself scarce. It didn’t bother Ben. His reputation was part of the act and he clung to it the way a child held onto their security blanket. 

 

“Can I buy you another Lager?” he offered, when he noticed she shared his taste in beer. 

 

From that point the night went uphill. Unlike his other colleagues, he found Rey to be clever. Her view on things was refreshing. She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, even if her opinion was an unpopular one, like her stance on the Flyers mascot. 

 

And when she kissed him...Ben felt his entire world shift. 

 

So of course his uncle had to ruin everything.

 

After spending his entire life being groomed for his job, he was infuriated when he found out his uncle was handing the same position over to a novice. 

 

Luke didn’t seem to understand Ben’s problem with hiring someone with no experience. He certainly didn’t understand why Ben would be angry at him for the decision, after his nephew had spent countless hours preparing for his own show after years of harsh critiques. 

 

Naturally, Ben didn’t handle the news well. 

 

But if he thought he had a chip on his shoulder after that night, it was nothing compared to Rey Niima. 

 

The girl wasn’t just clever, she was cunning. Somehow she managed to keep neck and neck with him all year. Her numbers rocketed up, beyond anything he could have expected. The more she succeeded, the more foolish he looked for his behavior at the party. 

 

So he tried to throw her off. 

 

It started out as harmless teasing, nothing out of line, but Rey didn’t bite. Ben was forced to take things to the next level. Still, she ignored him, continuing to advance along with her numbers. The more she rose up, the more frustrated and desperate he became. 

 

Ben lost sight of his purpose, too set on winning the top spot for the year. Number one was his. It belonged to him. 

 

Rey didn’t deserve it. She’d been at the station about as long as their intern had been. She and her sunshine smile and her three bun hairstyle — and really, who wore their hair that way? — and her overly eager helpfulness was just a play for the top spot. She wasn’t anything special.

 

Just because people enjoyed her witty banter on air and their colleagues were equally enamored with her didn’t mean anything. Just because she had great taste in music and preferred vinyl to digital didn’t mean anything. Just because she checked every box on his list didn’t mean anything. 

 

_Nope._

 

It was all null and void because Ben hated to lose. Almost as much as he hated Rey Niima. 

 

At least that’s what he told himself. 

 

Standing in her apartment now had him rethinking that particular train of thought. 

 

Everything in the small space smelled like her, a pleasant blend of mint and lavender, refreshing but also comforting in a familiar way. Ben shook his head, trying to clear his mind and his nostrils. If he wanted number one, he had to take her out of the race. 

 

“Come on out, Rey,” Ben knocked. “Let’s finish what we started.”

 

She didn’t respond right away. He placed his hands on the door frame, leaning towards the entry point, knowing she was probably just on the other side of it. As much as she protested, he knew what he saw. 

 

And what he felt. 

 

“You know when it happens, it’s going to be because you came to me,” he purred. 

 

“What the hell are you even doing here?” she hissed through the door. 

 

Ben sighed, licking his lips. “The Halestorm concert is at the Fillmore tonight,” he reminded her. “I have backstage passes and access to the after-show. I thought you could be my plus one.”

 

“Ha! Fat chance,” she called out to him. Her voice sounded farther away this time. He assumed she was getting dressed. 

 

“What about our dinner plans?” he teased.

 

“I already have plans tonight, Solo.”

 

“Yeah,” he chuckled. “With me. So open up the door, sweetheart.”

 

Surprisingly, that was exactly what she did. She swung the door open so quickly, he stumbled back a step, though not fast enough to avoid her jabbing her shoulder into him as she brushed past. 

 

Rey had pulled her hair back from her face into a high bun. Clean faced, he could see each freckle on her cheeks and wondered where else she was covered into the tiny marks. Perhaps that could be his new favorite hobby? 

 

She wore black skinny jeans, which hugged her delicate curves and a sparkly printed tank top. It was simple but elegant enough for the venue, though he hoped she planned on putting on a blazer or cardigan for the walk. Philadelphia winters weren’t known for being forgiving. 

 

“How did you get my address?” she quipped, crossing the apartment. She went into the kitchen nook, grabbing a glass of water and then filling one for him as well. 

 

Well that was new. 

 

“When Luke called me into his office he made the mistake of leaving me alone with his computer,” Ben grinned, propping himself up on his elbows as he stared at her across her kitchen counter. 

 

“That’s an HR violation,” Rey seethed. “Not to mention-.”

 

“Not to mention flattering,” he cut her off. “You could just drop the act and-.”

 

“Drop the act?” she sputtered, her nostrils flaring. 

 

Yes, this — _this_ he could do. The verbal sparring matches, the heavily veiled sexual comments which were definitely enough to send him to HR and those glares she gave him — this was all safe territory. 

 

“Not every girl gets the chance to be with the most successful personality in Philadelphia,” he winked.

 

Her eyes closed into dangerously thin black slits as her rage boiled through her. He could practically see the steam pouring out of her ears. 

 

“Newsflash, _Kylo_ ,” she mocked his earlier session. “No one wants that.” Then with a jolt of her arm she tossed the contents of the cup into his face. 

 

Ben wiped his sleeve across his eyes, mopping up the excess moisture. Rey remained standing in the kitchen, glaring at him as the water dripped off of him onto her floor. She didn’t appear bothered by the mess, silently challenging him to react.

 

He knew her well enough to understand this would only end one of two ways — either Rey would go for her steak knife next or she’d get so riled up she’d fall right into his trap. Just like she had this morning. The memory still made him smile. It had been the first time she’d actually taken him seriously since they began this war. 

 

“Maybe you’re right, Rey,” he conceded. “Maybe no one wants that.”

 

She blinked and the tension in her shoulders lessened. He’s caught her off guard. His lips twisted upwards as he went in for the kill. 

 

“But you aren’t no one. Not to me.”

 

Her surprised expression morphed into annoyance. “You have a real set on you, don’t you, Solo?”

 

“You want to check them out for yourself?” he shot back, rounding the corner.

 

Rey sidestepped to avoid him, but she wasn’t fast enough. He caught her around the waist with a laugh and hoisted her up over his shoulder.

 

“Ben! Ben, put me down!” She wriggled around, her pert ass precariously close to his face. 

 

The sight was enough to have his cock stirring in his pants. 

 

 _Not now_ , he chided himself. 

 

Too concerned about hiding his erection from Rey, he failed to notice the puddle of water on the floor. One second, he was walking them into the living room, the next he was falling.

 

He landed with a ‘hmph’ on his side before rolling onto his back. The wind was knocked out of him and he found both his hands were cradling Rey so she didn’t hit her head. 

 

“Nice going, asshole,” she spat at him, pushing on his chest with both her hands as she sat up. 

 

“I wasn’t the one who wanted to play splash,” he taunted, holding back a groan as he started to sit up. 

 

Rey rolled her eyes at him, completely unaware of how she was sitting. With one leg on either side of him, she was perched right above the growing problem in his pants — a problem which was only getting worse given their current state. 

 

From where she was above him, the light in her apartment gave her an almost ethereal glow, crowning her head in golden radiance. Ben stilled, cataloguing every detail of her perfect face. Her hazel orbs bore into him and for a moment he forgot his own name, too lost in her. 

 

“Ben?”

 

“Hmmm?”

 

“Are you ok? Do you want some ice?”

 

“Ice?”

 

“For your head,” she clarified. “It sounded like you hit it.”

 

_Snap out of it!_

 

“Uh, yeah, thanks,” he disentangled himself from her, helping her up. 

 

Rey grabbed an ice pack and a towel for him, before wiping up the remaining water from her floor. Ben watched her as he held the ice to the side of his head. It didn’t hurt, at least not as much as his pride. 

 

“Here, let me take a look,” Rey said as she straightened up. Ben leaned down as she inspected where he’d been applying the ice. “You’ll be fine,” she smiled. 

 

“Thanks,” he muttered.

 

He didn’t adjust back to his normal height, finding that this position brought her just close enough to kiss. Ben dropped the ice pack to the floor, scooping her up. 

 

His lips pressed into hers, the heat between their bodies burning. He felt like she was branding him. Rey let out a little noise of surprise, but she didn’t push him away this time. Instead, he felt her fingers carding through his hair. Her legs locked together above his waist, keeping her at the perfect height to return his kiss. 

 

It was also the perfect height for her to reach down and tug up his shirt. Somehow he managed to help her pull it off without dropping her, but after their floor incident Ben didn’t want to take any chances. 

 

He brought her over to the couch, keeping her on his lap so he could peel her shirt off. Fair was fair. Rey didn’t seem to mind, her eyes shut and her lips on his as she rolled down onto him. 

 

There was no way he could hide himself from her now. He was standing at full attention, eager to feel her. The sight of her strapless black lace bra only spurred him on. 

 

Ben fumbled with the button her jeans, not willing to stop tasting her but needing more. It was better than he remembered and feeling the way her entire body fit against him only served to further his descent into madness. 

 

Because that’s what kissing Rey felt like — going mad. 

 

His nerves were firing off in all directions. His brain was buzzing so loudly he couldn’t hear anything besides their lips smacking together and her soft moans. His skin was scorchingly hot all over. 

 

When he’d proposed this crazy idea on air, he’d never thought Rey would actually go for it. She’d never caught onto his intentions before. Why would this time be any different? 

 

“Ben,” his name came out as a strangled plea. 

 

“What do you need, Rey?” 

 

“I need y-.”

 

**Knock, knock, knock.**

 

Ben froze, his hands settling on her waist as they broke apart, gasping for air.

 

**Knock, knock.**

 

“Shit,” Rey hissed, leaping off of him and gathering up her scattered clothes. 

 

“Who is that?” Ben grumbled, hastily adjusting himself in his jeans. 

 

“Pizza.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Philly Notes:  
> \- [Lager](https://www.yuengling.com/our-beer/traditional-lager/) (Up here we call Yuengling Lager, Lager)  
> \- [Halestorm ](https://www.halestormrocks.com/) (amazing rock band, if you aren't familiar who is local)  
> \- [The Fillmore](http://www.thefillmorephilly.com/) (great concert venue, especially The Foundry)  
> As always, if you want to discuss any of my fics, always feel free to DM through tumblr [@wewantreylo](https://wewantreylo.tumblr.com/).


	3. I Like It Heavy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben finds he’s not the only one competing for Rey’s attention & Rey decides to up the ante on the wager...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my beta, [Robyn](http://reysexualkylo.tumblr.com/).

 

Rey raced through her apartment, acutely aware of Ben’s eyes following her everywhere she went. 

 

_Stupid, stupid, stupid..._

 

Reason howled at her as she scrambled to yank her jeans up and answer the door. What had she been thinking letting him kiss her like that? 

 

“Hi, Rey,” the delivery guy grinned, ignoring her flushed face. 

 

Matt, with his wire-framed glasses and mop of unruly blonde hair, was usually a welcomed presence at her apartment. Today, however, she didn’t want to see anyone. Or more accurately, she didn’t want anyone to see her. She felt her shame hanging around her like a noose. 

 

“I brought your favorite,” he announced proudly, grinning ear to ear. “I even managed to sneak a couple of garlic knots before Leslie noticed. They’re just out of the oven, like you like ‘em.”

 

“Thanks, Matt,” Rey replied a bit breathlessly. “How much do I owe you?”

 

The smile on his face fell a bit. “Are you feeling alright? You look like you might be getting sick. Can I get you anything?”

 

“No, no, I’m fine,” she assured him. 

 

His eyes flickered to where her hand kept the door mostly closed, only opened wide enough for him to see her.  When she didn’t say more, he cleared his throat. 

 

“I heard the show this morning,” he started. Rey stiffened. “Kylo was out of line. He shouldn’t have put you in that position. I have half a mind to track the guy down and-.”

 

“No need,” Ben interrupted as he appeared behind her, opening the door all the way. “I’m already here.” She could hear the smug grin in his voice. “Kylo Ren, nice to meet you.....” he drawled, offering his hand for a shake. 

 

“Matt,” the blonde replied tersely, but he gripped Ben’s hand firmly in greeting. 

 

“Matt,” Ben repeated, as they dropped hands. He snaked his arm around Rey’s waist, sidling up aside of her so she could feel his chest vibrate with his next words. “Thanks for the fuel. We’re going to need it, if you know what I mean.” Rey glared up at him, internally seething. He ignored her, giving Matt a suggestive wink before handing over a fifty. “Keep the change.” 

 

“Uh-.”

 

Ben pulled her and the food inside, then slammed the door in poor Matt’s face. 

 

“Ben!”

 

“What?” he asked nonchalantly, taking her dinner into the kitchen. 

 

“What the hell? You can’t just treat people like that!” she snapped, stomping after him. 

 

“He’s a delivery guy, Rey,” Ben chuckled. “Not your friend.”

 

“He is too!” she insisted. “He always brings me my food.”

 

“I’ll bet he does,” Ben made a face, as he searched through her cabinets. 

 

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

 

He turned around, smirking at her. “It means that he wants to give you more than some garlic knots, sweetheart.”

 

Rey clenched her fists at her side and spat at him, “Just because you want to get into my pants, doesn’t mean everyone else does!”

 

Ben chuckled. “Oh, sweetheart,” he crossed the narrow kitchen to where she stood and placed his hands on her waist. “I did get into your pants. I got you out of them too. Remember?”

 

She tried to back out of the tiny space, but he linked his fingers together on the small of her back, keeping her there. “And for the record, that man does want in your pants, Rey. You may think I’m just your coworker with a dirty mind and even filthier mouth,” he flashed her a wolfish grin. “And you’d be right, but what you don’t know about me,” he leaned down to whisper the last part in her ear, “is that I do not share, Rey. If you’re mine, you’re only mine.”

 

Slowly, he straightened up, eyes locked on hers. “Understand, sweetheart?” Despite her anger, she found herself nodding. “Good,” he released her and went back to rummaging through her kitchen. 

 

Rey leaned against the side wall, watching him plate the pizza with uncanny ease. 

 

What had she gotten herself into?

 

* * *

 

 

“Wait, where are you right now?” her foster sister asked.

 

Rey winced, curling up tighter in the corner, her grip on her cell tightening. “I’m in the bathroom.”

 

Laughter erupted on the other end of the line. “Are you hiding from him, little sister?”

 

“It’s not funny, Jyn,” Rey whisper-yelled.

 

“Oh, it’s kind of funny,” the other woman continued to laugh. “You’re hiding from your date.”

 

“It’s not a date!”

 

“No?” Jyn quipped.

 

Rey explained her day to her older sister and waited for Jyn’s response. 

 

“Oh, sunshine,” she sighed in that strangely maternal way she always did when she gave Rey news Rey didn’t want to hear. “It’s a date.”

 

“No, it’s not! He’s a complete asshole. He-.”

 

A knock on the door interrupted her rant.

 

“Sweetheart?” 

 

_Shit!_

 

“If you’re done hiding, might want to get dressed. I don’t want to miss the sound check,” Ben called in to her. 

 

Rey groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. 

 

“He has a great voice,” Jyn commented. “If I wasn’t with Cassian, I’d definitely tap that-.”

 

“Stop!” Rey cried. “Stop right there.”

 

“Jealous, little sister?”

 

“As if,” Rey huffed. “He’s an overgrown pain in my ass, who-.”

 

“Who you’ve been secretly pining for since that kiss,” Jyn finished for her. 

 

“Hey! I told you that in confidence!”

 

“You told me that over one too many margaritas at Maz’s,” her sister laughed. “But listen, seriously, the guy can’t be all that evil if he sat and ate pizza with you while you watched old CSI reruns.”

 

“Hey! Grissom was the best,” Rey grumbled. 

 

Ben knocked on the door again, reminding her of where she was and where she was supposed to be. “I got to go, Jyn. Talk later?”

 

“Sure,” Jyn replied. “Have fun. Make bad decisions. All of them involving Ben.”

 

“Jyn!”

 

Her sister’s laughter filled her ears as Jyn hung up. 

 

Rey stood up, running a hand over her forehead. She stared at herself in the mirror, trying to figure out what to say, what to do.

 

Ben Solo was expecting her to go to the concert with him. If she went, people would see her out with him. Rey could imagine the headlines on the blogs: Kylo Seals the Deal with Kira, Ren Scores a Ten, Number One Again — Kylo Wins Bet. She shook her head at the possible titles. 

 

 _Make bad decisions._ Jyn’s advice echoed in her mind. Oh she would….she was about to make a _very_ bad decision, because there was only way to win this.

 

She swung the door open, not surprised to find him waiting for her. He was leaning against the opposite wall, arms crossed over his broad chest as though he was posed for a photo shoot. 

 

He was hardly fighting fair with his casual stance showing off his muscular arms and toned legs. The bone structure of his face was akin to a Greek statue and his hair — which she shamelessly tangled her fingers in earlier — was too damn inviting. 

 

_Draw the line in the sand, Rey. Just do it._

 

“So,” she began, matching his stance as she propped herself against the doorframe. “This wager we have going on...”

 

“What about it?”

 

“I wanted to be clear about the terms,” Rey clarified.

 

“You want me to explain to you what I meant, sweetheart?” He chuckled. “I could, but it would be easier to show you.” 

 

He took a step towards her and Rey instinctively shot out her hand, pressing it against his chest to keep him from entering her personal space. 

 

“I don’t think the terms are fair,” she informed him. “The entire thing hinges on me falling victim to your...prowess. What if it happens the other way around?”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“What happens if I make you _sing_ for me, Ben?”

 

He backed up slightly, staring at her as if he was trying to solve a difficult riddle. She flashed him a smile and his chocolate orbs darkened until they were nearly as black as his hair. 

 

“Be careful, Rey. I don’t think you know what you’re getting yourself into.”

 

For the first time since he arrived at her apartment, Rey felt in control. “I know exactly what I’m doing,” she contended. “If I get you to _sing_ for me, I win. Same stakes. Deal?”

 

“Alright sweetheart,” he smiled. “Game on.”

 

* * *

 

 

The air inside the venue was thick with the scent of sweat, beer and smoke from the fog machine. Rey kept her head down as she proceeded forward towards the stage. She was not interested in stepping in anything that would force her to throw out her ankle boots.

 

Ben followed close behind, his hand warm where it sat on the curve of her lower back. He had taken to touching her whenever she gave him a chance. At first, she was startled but she quickly became accustomed to the attention.

 

Too quickly.

 

She had to keep reminding herself it wasn’t real. Anything she felt or saw from Ben Solo was all a lie, a trick to give him the edge so he could beat her. She needed to protect herself.

 

Her mind was so lost in constructing walls around her heart, she failed to notice the security guard at the band’s door.

 

“Hey, Sunshine!”

 

Rey glanced up, smiling when she spotted the man who called to her. “Baze!”

 

“How’s my girl?” he asked, enveloping her in a great bear hug that had her feet lifting off the ground. “Staying out of trouble, I hope,” he joked as he set her down, which was when he spotted Ben. “Who’s this? Your boyfriend?”

 

Her cheeks reddened but Ben merely smiled and offered his hand to Baze. “Ben Solo, I work at The Force with Rey.”

 

Baze shook Ben’s hand, as his ancient eyes scrutinized the younger man. “Come here,” the security guard motioned for Ben to step closer.

 

“Baze, it’s not like that,” Rey protested.

 

“We’ll only be a minute, sunshine,” he waved her off. “Go inside and see the band. They’re  pretty good.”

 

Rey glanced at Ben, but he shrugged and gave a her a smile, so she flashed her pass at the doorman and went through.

 

On the other side she could hear a guitar riff, cymbals crashing and the click-clack of heels on the linoleum floor. Rey wandered back to the source of the noise, finding the band fooling around as they geared up for the show.

 

“You the reporter?” a willowy woman approached Rey, her thick black eyeshadow smeared along the sides of her face.

 

“I’m Kira Kenobi,” Rey greeted the lead singer. “I’m from 104.5 The Force. I love your music. I wanted to see your live show back in 2010, but-.”

 

Lzzy Hale let out a sharp laugh. “What were you back then, like twelve?”

 

“Eleven,” Rey replied sheepishly.

 

“Right on,” Lzzy patted her on the back. “Arejay and I started the band when I was fourteen. It’s never too early to fall in love with rock n’ roll.” Her eyes shifted away from Rey’s face. “Unless you fall in love with something darker.”

 

Rey didn’t have to turn around to know to whom Lzzy was referring. Ben’s hand was already on her lower back, strangely comforting after his momentary absence.

 

Lzzy appeared to notice both the gesture and the relief it caused Rey. The rock singer’s lips twisted into a grin. “Kylo Ren, always a pleasure.”

 

“Ms. Hale,” Ben greeted her in return.

 

“Don’t start with that,” Lzzy rolled her eyes. “Just because I’m older than you doesn’t mean you have to rub it in all the time.” She motioned for them to follow her over to where the other band members were gathered around. “Hey, this is Ben and his girl...”

 

“Rey,” he provided without hesitation. Lzzy shot her a knowing look.

 

After she met the band, Ben guided her to the backstage VIP area where they could watch the performance. They settled down on a plush leather couch, Ben laying his arm across the back, so his fingers draped down on her shoulder.

 

Before she could ask him how he knew the band, one of the bartenders approached them with an ice bucket and a six pack of Lager. “Compliments of Ms. Hale,” he informed them.

 

“Still a beer drinker?” Ben asked Rey, as the bartender made himself scarce.

 

“Absolutely.”

 

He cracked open a pair of bottles, handing one over to her. Rey took a long swig, savoring the cold liquid as it slid down her throat.

 

“So what did you and Baze talk about?”

 

Ben gave her another smirk. Really? Was that the only expression the man wore in her presence? “Wouldn’t you like to know?” he chuckled, facing the stage as he took a sip of his beer.

 

_Huh? What is that suppose to mean?_

 

Any attempt to find out was drowned out by the pounding sounds of the bass, backed up by Arejay on the drums and the concert kicked off.

 

While the beats of the rock music keeping them from chatting, Rey pondered over what Baze could have possibly said to Ben.

 

It wasn’t unlike Baze to be overprotective. As Cassian’s uncle, he had taken to her like the father she’d never had the moment he entered her life. The fact her older sister was engaged to his nephew only made him more protective.

 

But Ben was her co-worker, not a threat, so what had the two spoken about?

 

The unknown plagued her, filling her mind with all sorts of scenarios, each less likely that the one which proceeded it. She was so deep in her speculation, she missed the band’s closing number.

 

“It’s really eating away at you, isn’t it?” Ben asked before the encore.

 

“Huh?” Rey snapped her attention to the smug man seated aside of her.

 

“Not knowing,” he cleared up.

 

“Just curious is all,” she huffed, reaching for her third beer.

 

Ben leaned in, whispering in her ear, “He told me to keep my hands off of you and I said I would.”

 

Rey tilted her head to stare at him.

 

“I lied,” he chuckled, taking another sip of his beer. “I fully intend to put my hands all over you, sweetheart.”

 

She was grateful for the lack of lighting backstage or he would have seen her blush.

 

“Just as soon as you ask me to,” he finished with a wink.

 

Her embarrassed blush morphed into a frustrated burn that swept through her body.

 

_Cocky, son-of-a-_

 

“Tonight we have some friends in the house with us,” Lzzy’s announcement cut off Rey’s thoughts. “Kylo Ren and Kira Kenobi from 104.5 The Force.”

 

The crowd applauded, whoops and hollers coming from the drunken part of the population.

 

“The boys and I decided in honor of them, we’re going to end the night with this one,” Lzzy began strumming and the crowd started to clap.

 

Rey listened to the familiar cords of “I Like It Heavy”, her entire body rippling with Goosebumps as her favorite song played for the roaring fans.

 

She wasn’t even conscious of the fact she was leaning forward on the couch, watching Lzzy jump around the stage in her five inch stilettos as she belted out the lyrics. Rey also wasn’t aware of Ben’s eyes on her.

 

As the ending guitar riff vibrated to end the song, Lzzy approached the mic to finish with her vocal solo. The audience erupted into applause for the band.

 

“Let’s go, sweetheart,” Ben was suddenly standing, offering her his hand to help her to her feet.

 

“How?” She asked, as he led her out of the Fillmore. “How did you know?”

 

“You play it at least once a week,” he replied. “Wasn’t hard to figure out.”

 

Rey stared at him. If he knew she played the song that often that could only mean...

 

“You listen to my show?”

 

He shrugged, as his hand found the small of her back to guide her down the sidewalk towards his car. “I like it as background noise.”

 

“Background noise?” She quirked her eyebrows skeptically.

 

“Don’t read into it, Niima,” he told her. “You’re good, but you aren’t number one material.”

 

“Says you,” she argued.

 

“Yeah, because I am number one.”

 

“Not for long,” Rey insisted.

 

Oh really?” Ben mused out loud. “We’ll see.”

 

Rey opened her mouth to shoot back at him when he crouched down and grabbed her around her thighs, hoisting her up and over his shoulder just as he had done in her apartment earlier. And just like before, she yelled at him.

 

“Ben!” She beat her fists against his back. “Ben!”

 

He only chuckled, carrying her to his car without a care. “As much as I love to hear you screaming my name, Rey, you and I both know it doesn’t count.” Ben unlocked his vehicle, dropping her into the passenger’s seat. He climbed in along side of her, turning the key in the ignition as the luxury car purred to life.

 

“So, sweetheart, your place or mine?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Philly Notes:  
>   
> \- [Halestorm ](https://www.halestormrocks.com/)  
> \- [Lzzy Hale](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lzzy_Hale) (she's my spirit animal)  
> \- [I Like It Heavy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ugwl46p7vvk) (Rey's song from the encore)  
> \- [The Fillmore](http://www.thefillmorephilly.com/) (concert venue)  
> My tumblr is still active: [@wewantreylo](https://wewantreylo.tumblr.com/)


	4. Talk Dirty to Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben takes Rey home to make good on his promise...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up. The plot bunnies had me working on some one-shots and my upcoming canon-verse fic. But I'm back and if you're looking for plot in this update...well I'm sorry to disappoint. It's basically just smut. 
> 
> Chapter from the Poison song by the same name. 
> 
> Thank you to my super sweet beta, [Robyn](http://reysexualkylo.tumblr.com/)!

They wound up at his apartment in Olde City, since it was closer. He’d been fighting with himself all night between wanting to drag her into the back-room and have his way with her or tease her until she was the one dragging him. 

 

In the end, his indecision served to keep him from doing anything he might later regret. Like telling Rey how often he actually listened to her show or how he’d asked Lzzy to play that song for her before he’d even convinced Rey to come out with him. 

 

He couldn’t go down that path, couldn’t risk her rejecting him the way everyone else in his life did. And if they never started, there wasn’t anything to be hurt over.

 

_Right?_

 

Ben could keep things casual. Casual sex was basically par for the course nowadays. It would be simple. Once he won the wager and had his spot secure, this whole thing with Rey would pass. His entire one-sided infatuation with his co-worker would be done. The itch would be scratched. He could go back to they way things were before. 

 

Without Rey. 

 

Something about that didn’t sit well with him, but he didn’t allow his mind to linger on it for long. 

 

The beer had hit Rey somewhere between Spring Garden and the Ben Franklin Bridge. Her petite form not having ingested enough pizza to soak up the beer she’d had, especially since she’d stolen one of his. He hadn’t acknowledged her thievery and found himself amused by how relaxed she was.

 

Ever since this morning, Rey had been more tightly wound than normal. The only way he’d been able to get through to her was through kissing, but it seemed a few drinks also worked wonders on the brunette. 

 

She wasn’t drunk, but the buzz she carried had her toeing off her shoes in his doorway, before strolling off. Ben stayed by the front door, a smirk tugging at his lips as he watched Rey saunter around. She looked right here, as if she belonged. 

 

“This is all yours?” she asked, her voice filled with awe. 

 

“Yeah,” he stifled a chuckle. 

 

The renovated studio he rented was spacious, with more room than a single man needed, but Ben could afford it. He kept up the appearance of his on-air persona, acting as though he needed the space for parties and events. Nothing could be further from the truth. 

 

Most nights he was alone, reading in the corner with only the soft glow of his lamp for company. On the rare occasion that he did go out with Hux, he’d have one or two drinks before the ginger’s sour personality made him long for the quiet solitude of his apartment. 

 

Rey walked past him, having taking a tour of the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom in the span of a few minutes. Ben was reminded it wouldn’t be quiet tonight. 

 

At least not for long. 

 

“Come here, sweetheart,” he coaxed her to join him, considering an encore to their earlier position from the studio. 

 

“No,” she pouted, flopping down onto his couch. 

 

Leave it to Rey to be stubborn even when buzzed. She wasn’t going to make this easy on him. 

 

He sighed, but relented. After all, they’d both be more comfortable if they were on the couch. Maybe she’d be comfortable enough to final give into him. He could be persuasive. 

 

Ben settled down aside of her, one arm draped over the back of Rey’s section. “You know Lzzy and the band are returning for the New Year’s Eve concert at Penn’s Landing, right?”

 

Rey nodded with a hum. She was still basking in her relaxed state. 

 

“We could go together,” he suggested. “It would be quite the victory celebration.”

 

That got her.

 

Her eyes latched onto him instantly and any lingering pleasantness disappeared. “You mean when I win?”

 

He grinned, leaning. “If by win, you mean you acknowledge I can give you what you want, what you need...then yes,” he crooned in her ear.

 

Rey’s eyes flashed with fire. “You’re going down, Solo.”

 

“You’re so right,” he winked.

 

Rey let out a squeak of surprise as he repositioned her so she was lying flat on her back with him between her legs.

 

“Solo!”

 

“Screaming for me already, Niima?” She rolled her eyes, but didn’t make a move to stop him.

 

His hands hovered over her jeans, waiting for permission. “Rey?”

 

“Ben,” she flashed him a coy smile. “You aren’t going to win if you let me keep my clothes on.”

 

_Dirty girl..._

 

“Well then,” he chuckled, quickly undoing the fastening and pulling off her pants. She was wearing a pair of lace black panties, his absolute favorite, if his hardening member was any indication.

 

Ben crawled up her lithe body, making sure to roll his hips against hers as he did. Rey surged up, grabbing his face between her hands and kissing him hungrily. He smiled against her lips, pleased to know he wasn’t the only one affected.

 

For a moment, he simply kissed her back, enjoying the feel of their bodies meshed together on his couch. Being away from the studio, away from their personas and away from Luke allowed him to envision a life where this was his new normal, where Rey was his, not because of some stupid bet, but because he’d earned her.

 

He recognized how dangerous thoughts like that were, but couldn’t keep himself from falling deeper into the fantasy. It was damn near impossible when she was making those little moans and breathy sighs as she carded her fingers through his hair.

 

The way she rose to meet each roll of his hips was perfectly timed, already in sync with his movements. Ben had never felt so connected to another person. They weren’t even naked and he felt more aroused than ever before. He couldn’t stop himself from running a trail of kisses from her mouth to her jawline, just so he could hear more of her sounds.

 

His hand drifted up under her top, squeezing around her breast through the cup of her bra. It felt like the same lace he’d seen seen on her lower form. A thrill rushed through him at the proof she’d worn a matching set for him. Dirty girl, indeed.

 

He knew she’d wanted this — wanted him. Now that Ben had her, he was going to make sure she only ever wanted him.

 

Slipping a hand between them, he glided down her flat stomach to the lip of her panties. Rey’s back arched, pinning his hand between their pelvises.

 

“Shhh, sweetheart,” he pressed a kiss to her forehead, his tone softer than he meant. “I’ve got you.”

 

Rey relaxed down into the cushions, permitting his fingers to dive under the thin fabric. Ben groaned when he felt how damp she was. He wanted to rip off the damn piece of lace and bury his face in her, but Rey’s fingers were insistently tugging on his hair, directing his lips back to hers. Her tongue raged against his own, their lewd sounds becoming animalistic. 

 

“These,” She panted into his mouth, while her hands tugged at his waist. “Take them off.” 

 

_Gladly._

 

Ben raised his hips enough to undo his belt, and shimmy out of his jeans, before resuming his prior position over Rey. Like this he could feel the dampness of her panties. Heat radiated through his core, boiling away all reason. A primal part of him yearned to push aside the cloth and claim her. It would be so easy. 

 

But there was no fun in that. Ben liked the chase. He’d waited a year to have her like this, writhing beneath him needy and hot. He could wait a little longer. 

 

He teased the folds of her opening, delighted by how responsive Rey was to his touch. Her hips jerked upwards, seeking friction. 

 

“Ben,” she hissed, when he stroked over her clit. 

 

“Remember our wager, Rey?” He reminded her, even though it was the furthest thought from his mind. 

 

All Ben Solo was concerned about was worshiping the beautiful woman beneath him until she was ruined for anyone else. No more pizza deliveries from that blonde dude. No more eyes from strangers at concert venues. No more sweet talkers in bars offering to buy her a drink. No. She’d be his and only his. 

 

Rey keened when he pushed her shirt up and her bra down to expose her nipples to his mouth. With one hand on her opposite breast and his other toying with her cunt, she was at his mercy. Though Ben suspected she didn’t mind. She was eager and pliable under his ministrations. 

 

He thrust a finger into her. Rey gasped, contracting around him. Ben held back a howl. She was so deliciously tight and he wondered how it would feel to push himself fully into her for the first time. 

 

 _All in due time_ , he reasoned.

 

As of tonight, Ben wasn’t only going to win the bet. He was going to win Rey over. She’d come into his life and turned everything upside down. It was only appropriate that he return the favor. 

 

He pressed another finger into her entrance, laving at her tit before kissing the stray freckle which fell in the center of her breast bone. Rey’s fingernails scraped along his scalp. Her head tilted back as a strained whimper left her lips. 

 

“You don’t have to be quiet, sweetheart,” he grinned. “I want to hear you.”

 

“Then make me scream, Ben.”

 

She probably meant to say it as a stroke of defiance, but all he heard was her plea for him to take her over the edge. He pistoned his fingers in and out of her, adding a third when Rey began to buck up to meet his thrusts. Another whimper followed. 

 

“That’s it,” he praised her, kissing that adorable freckle on her chest again. 

 

He removed his hand from her breast, needing it to hold her hips down. She was frantically humping his hand, crashing towards her finish and the harder she tried to achieve it the closer he felt to losing control himself as he rutted against her thigh. 

 

“You’re still holding on,” he whispered against her. “Let go. Let go, Rey.” He crooked his fingers just right, hearing the way her breath hitched.

 

Her inner muscles pulsed around his digits, but still she held back. He was convinced she was biting down hard enough to draw blood. Yet, she wouldn’t yield.

 

“Scream for me, sweetheart,” Ben kissed the column of her throat, rubbing the pad of his thumb over her hood. “I wanna hear you cry out so everyone knows who is taking care of you.”

 

“Say my name, Rey.”

 

“No,” she grit out, her jaw clenched.

 

“Rey,” he responded lowly. 

 

She glared at him, her eyes full of determination and resistance. And then the fire which had been burning between them all night consumed everything. 

 

Rey’s eyes squeezed shut, as her walls clamped down on him. Her hips rose off the couch, rubbing into him just enough to set him off. Ben cursed. His spend coated the inside of his boxer shorts, the excess dripping down to Rey’s leg. For a moment he simply laid there, careful not to crush her under his weight, but not wanting to part from her either, despite the fact she made him come in his pants like a teenager. he never had such a visceral response to a woman before.

 

Once their breathing regulated, Ben brushed a strand of hair from Rey's face. “Let’s get cleaned up,” he suggested. 

 

Bodily, Ben scooped her up, carrying her into the bathroom. They proceed to strip one another down, before he crowded her into the shower. The hot water felt heavenly against his sticky skin, almost as heavenly as Rey had felt. 

 

Once they were cleaned and toweled off, they padded into his bedroom, Rey collapsing onto the mattress. 

 

“Better luck next time, Solo,” she giggled cheekily. 

 

Ben prepared a snappy comeback only to find her asleep. The moment her head hit the pillow, she was out. He shook her lightly. “Rey?” But the only response she gave was a soft snore.

 

He couldn’t contain his smile. Gathering up his comforter, he tucked them both in. Ben gathered her in his arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You’ll be the death of me, sweetheart.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Philly Notes:  
> \- [Olde City](https://www.oldcitydistrict.org/)  
> \- [Spring Garden](https://www.visitphilly.com/areas/philadelphia-neighborhoods/spring-garden/)  
> \- [Ben Franklin Bridge](http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/philadelphia/bridge.htm)  
> \- [Halestorm](https://www.halestormrocks.com/)  
> \- [Penn's Landing](https://www.visitphilly.com/things-to-do/attractions/penns-landing/) (a must-see if you're visiting the city)  
> I'm not on twitter, so find me on tumblr [@wewantreylo](https://wewantreylo.tumblr.com/).


	5. Under Pressure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben spend the holiday weekend together...with interesting results and consequences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title from the ultimate rock stars, Queen, though I still prefer the version with Bowie.
> 
> Also, when I uploaded the last chapter, I had issues with the dates. For some reason the update date and published date got transposed. I have a ticket open with A03 to fix this, but unless you're subscribed, I don't think any kind of notification went out for the last chapter. 
> 
> Thank you to my speedy beta, [Robyn](http://reysexualkylo.tumblr.com/) who turned this around right away!

 

Rey woke up the Saturday before Christmas to an unfamiliar bedroom and an even more unfamiliar weight. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she scanned her surroundings. The bedroom furniture was much nicer than her thrown together knick-knacks and dumpster dives. It was darker too, almost monotone in fact. There was only one person who she knew stuck to a color palette like that.

 

“Ben.”

 

He only grunted in response, his arms encircling her waist tighter as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. His breath was hot, blowing her chestnut locks across her cheek.

 

“Ben.”

 

“It’s the weekend, Niima,” he grumbled, his voice heavy in his slumber. “Go back to sleep.”

 

“Christmas is Tuesday,” she persisted. “I need to go. I’m supposed to meet my sister.”

 

“Call her and tell her you’ll be late,” he argued, not moving.

 

“Ben,” Rey sighed, attempting to remove his hands from where they were locked around her form.

 

“You didn’t scream for me last night,” he rumbled, turning his head to kiss her pulse point. “I think I’ll keep you here until you do.”

 

Rey felt heat sear throughout her body, waves rippling up her torso to her chest and all the way to her face, which was now burning as bad as her core.

 

It had been sheer determination of will which kept her from losing the bet last night. She’d never had anyone touch her the way Ben had. In her limited experience, guys seemed more worried about getting themselves off than pleasuring their partners. But not Ben, at least not within the context of their little wager.

 

“Ben, I really have to go,” she tried to wriggle free.

 

“I’ll let you go, if,” he drawled.

 

“If?” Rey huffed in annoyance.

 

“If you scream for me.”

 

“Ben!” She reached around and whacked him with a pillow.

 

“That’s more like it,” he chuckled, tossing the pillow to the side.

 

He flipped them over, so Rey was straddling his hips. They hadn’t redressed after their shower and in the morning light, she had an unobstructed view of what he was working with. The fire in her belly intensified. Rey bit her bottom lip, struggling to keep her gaze away from between his legs.

 

“It’s ok, sweetheart. You can look,” he smirked, letting his gaze travel down the length of her. “I know I am.”

 

If he wanted to play dirty, she was going to make him regret it.

 

“Can I touch?” She asked.

 

He nodded and she spit into her hand. The smug grin on his face faltered as she wrapped her hands around his hardening cock. His breath hitched and his eyes fluttered closed for a split second as she began to languidly pump him. Rey rocked her hips back and forth in time with her efforts, pressing into him just enough for him to feel her. Ben’s jaw clenched.

 

“Do you want me to stop?” She questioned.

 

“If you can hold back, Niima, I certainly can,” he retorted, but his voice wavered.

 

“Alright then,” Rey smiled as innocently as she could.

 

The sight of him in her hands was one she would never forget. It was almost enough to have her grinding against his thigh like a woman possessed. Ben was massive all over, not that she’d expected anything less when he went around the studio acting like he owned it. That kind of arrogance only came from someone who was sure of themselves and in his case, Ben was _very_ sure of himself.

 

Which made Rey wonder what she’d gotten herself into.

 

Perched on top, she’d put herself in a precarious situation. There was no more hiding, no more playing coy. They’d willingly crossed a line last night and while deep down Rey knew she should be concerned about that, about the fact she’d violated about a dozen or so HR codes, the only thing she was worried about in the present was hearing Ben scream her name.

 

The wager had transformed from an insulting, borderline degrading tease from her coworker into a sexually charged game. And Rey was more than ready to play.

 

She wouldn’t be satisfied until he was howling for her.

 

Ben bucked his hips, rocking up into her. Rey stroked him faster, watching as he threw an arm over his face. His chest rose and fell with his labored breathing. Grinning wickedly, she removed one hand from his shaft to cup his balls. Ben jerked, practically throwing her off of him.

 

“Shhh, I’ve got you,” Rey echoed his words from the night prior, while steadying herself.

 

He groaned, turning his head to the side, but kept his face covered. She worked him with her hands, paying special attention to his sack, gently rolling the soft skin between her fingers and pressing her palm to him. Ben’s breathing grew erratic, his legs jolting when Rey touched him in a way which had his member twitching in her hold.

 

“Come, Ben,” she urged. “Come for me.”

 

She ran her thumb over his weeping slit, gathering up his arousal and sucking it off her thumb with a loud ‘pop’.

 

“Fuck,” he hissed, his arm falling away so he could openly stare at her.

 

Rey grinned, repeating the gesture, letting her tongue lap up the precum with prolonged precision.

 

Ben surged up into a sitting position, jostling them so her hands had to brace her on his chest to keep from falling. He gripped a handful of hair, yanking her head back hard enough she winced.

 

“You like teasing me, Rey?” He growled.

 

“Do you like teasing me?” She quipped back.

 

As terrible as it was, Rey had to admit, she enjoyed his rowdiness. It made her feel wanted, like he couldn’t control himself enough around her to function with his normally cool demeanor. It made her feel powerful.

 

“I love teasing you,” he grinned wolfishly canting his hips. Rey closed her eyes, biting back her own groan. “And I love how you tease me.”

 

“Then why did you stop me?”

 

“Because as much as I love all the teasing, I want to hear you, sweetheart,” he goaded her. “Lay down.”

 

Ben guided her back down onto the mattress so she was laying on her side facing him. Rey gripped him, running her thumb up the pulsing vein of his cock, as her other hand held his hips still. He reached around her, one hand opening her thighs so his opposite could rub her clit.

 

They panted in each other’s faces, strangled curses whispered exchanged as they both fought against their approaching finishes.

 

Rey slid her thumb over the bulbous head, swollen and purple. Ben’s eyes squeezed shut, his hand stuttering where it was wedged between her thighs. She did it again while pressing her bare breasts to his chest. Her nipples were pronounced, dragging along his pectorals.

 

“Again,” Ben wheezed. “Again.”

 

She gave him what he wanted, pressing down harder until she heard him keen. Warmth sprayed across her hand as he climaxed. Seeing him covered in his own spend shouldn’t have been as erotic as it was.

 

Rey felt slick seeping from her core. Then Ben lifted her leg up, scissoring his fingers in her cunt and working her roughly until she followed him over the edge.

 

For several minutes, they remained on the mattress, their breathing uneven and not a word spoken. The silence stretched on until Rey’s cell began to go off.

 

“Shit,” she jumped up from the bed, checking the caller ID to see her sisters name. “I’m late.”

 

Ben chuckled, rolling over to snuggle back under his sheets. “Worth it.”

 

* * *

 

An hour later found Rey outside the city at the outlets, strolling through the outdoor paths with Jyn.

 

“I can’t believe you go backstage and you didn’t invite me!”

 

“I wasn’t planning on going,” Rey stated for the third time. Jyn shot her a look of utter disbelief. “It was all Ben.”

 

“Right,” Jyn snickered. “How is the sultry-voiced Satan?”

 

“Awful,” Rey sighed.

 

Jyn’s face contorted. “Bad morning breath awful or can’t find it awful?”

 

“Oh he can find it,” Rey snapped agitatedly. “That’s not the problem.”

 

“So what is the problem?”

 

“He _knows_ he can find it,” she answered narrowing her eyes at a window display of a cute couple in the snow together. Stupid holidays with their need to market love and happiness everywhere.

 

“I fail to see what’s so awful about that,” Jyn laughed.

 

“He knows how good he is and he takes great pride in proving it,” Rey replied testily. 

“So you two...” Jyn made a lewd gesture with her fingers. 

“Jyn!” Rey cried, covering up her sister’s hands as a mother with her two young children walked by. 

“What?” Jyn laughed, completely carefree. 

They continued walking around, going from shop to shop in search of last minute Christmas gifts. Every since their foster parents Saw and Maz had passed away, Jyn and Rey had gone Christmas shopping the weekend before the holiday together so on the way home they could stop by the cemetery and pay their respects. It was bittersweet, but it was tradition. 

Even though Jyn had moved in with Cassian, the sisters maintained their tradition, meeting up and driving out of the city together in Jyn’s beat-up, old U-wing. Their first stop was always coffee, which this morning Rey sorely needed, and from there they continued until they’d checked off every person on their list. 

 

“Why don’t you invite him over for Christmas?” Jyn suggested.

 

“What?” Rey balked.

 

“Oh come on,” her sister nudged her. “It will be fun. Cassian will grill him with twenty questions and Baze will give him a death stare all through dinner. If that doesn’t send the guy running for the hills, nothing will.”

 

“I guess,” Rey murmured.

 

“Unless,” Jyn slowed to a stop in front of the next shop. “Unless you actually like him.”

 

“No! Of course I don’t,” Rey shook her head frantically. “No one could like an arrogant, self-absorbed, entitled—.”

 

“Rey.”

 

“Just because he thinks he’s so great with that voice of his and—“

 

“Rey.”

 

“That hair! I mean, what does he use because it’s not conditioner, believe me! I’ve tried.”

 

“Rey!”

 

“Huh?”

 

“It’s ok to like him, you know,” Jyn smiled at her.

 

“I do not like him.”

 

Jyn crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her head in a stance that said, ‘Sure’ in the most sarcastic way possible.

 

“I don’t!” Rey insisted.

 

“So if he goes off and starts dating someone else in the time it takes you to leave Denial, population one, that won’t bother you?”

 

“No. Nope. Not at all,” Rey replied, feigning indifference.

 

“God!” Jyn laughed, her stance falling away. “You’re such a bad liar!” She looped an arm around Rey’s shoulders. “Come here, little sis,” she continued to laugh as they made their way through the outlets. “Let me tell you something. The more you try to convince yourself you aren’t into him, the more you’re going to want him. Take it from me. It won’t work.”

 

“Ben and I aren’t you and Cassian,” Rey protested.

 

“Close enough,” Jyn argued. “Invite him to dinner. What’s the worst that could happen?”

 

* * *

 

Three days later, as Rey stood outside her sister’s residence in Fishtown, she was asking herself that very question.

 

_What’s the worst that could happen?_

 

It wasn’t like everyone inside would know she and Ben hadn’t left his bed all weekend. It wasn’t as if they’d be able to tell she’d come so hard this morning, she saw stars or that Ben started to cry out her name last night before biting down on a pillow.

 

Nope, no one would know.

 

And even if they did, it didn’t matter.

 

No one needed to know about how Ben held her after they were too blissed out to continue. No one needed to know that he was a secret whiz in the kitchen. They didn’t need to know Ben’s favorite show was Joss Wheaton’s Firefly or that he was still mad FOX had cancelled it in 2003. 

None of it was relevant. 

That’s what Rey repeated each time she caught herself looking at him longer than necessary and each time she found herself wondering if this could be real. Jyn’s taunting from their day of shopping had her second guessing what she wanted. 

In the beginning, it had been easy. Rey wanted the number one spot on air. She wanted her show to gain more followers and she wanted to rub smug Ben Solo’s face in it. 

But now...

She still wanted Ben Solo’s smug face...in between her thighs. That wasn’t the part which scared her. As she prepared to enter Christmas dinner with her family, what terrified Rey the most was how much she wanted all the in between moments too. 

Like the way Ben had tried to teach her how to make fajitas, standing behind her and guiding her movements carefully. Or how he’d washed her hair for her in the shower this morning. Moments like when she’d fallen asleep on his lap yesterday. He’d tucked her up in a blanket and let her sleep until dinner. 

Those moments weren’t things coworkers did, especially ones engaged in a non-HR sanctioned sex bet. Rey couldn’t explain what those moments did to her, but she knew Jyn would see right through her the second she stepped inside. 

“Are you going to knock?” Ben questioned, staring at her curiously. 

 

Whatever was going on between them was only for the sake of the wager. Nothing more. Right?

 

With a sigh, she raised her hand and knocked sharply. A familiar face opened the door, arms reaching out to bring her in for a hug.

 

“Peanut!”

 

“Hey Finn,” Rey greeted him, grateful he was the first person she saw.

 

Finn was always lighthearted. His presence often calmed her. She was glad he and Poe had become regulars at her and Jyn’s Christmas gathering.

 

“Solo,” her best friend’s voice took on a sour tone. Rey pulled away from Finn to help Ben with the mountain of presents they’d brought.

 

“Merry Christmas,” Ben replied as he stepped inside the apartment, ignoring the change in Finn’s demeanor.

 

“Did you invite him?” Finn ignored Ben to question Rey.

 

“Yeah, I—

 

“I invited him,” Jyn came forward, hugging Rey before moving past to welcome Ben into her home. “Don’t just stand there. Come in.”

 

Rey watched as her sister ushered Ben around, taking the remaining gifts from his hold and handing them off to Cassian as they went by. Cassian shot Rey a look before  setting the gifts under their miniature tree.

 

“Hey Sunshine,” Baze greeted Rey next, followed by his partner Chirrut, then Bodhi and finally Poe.

 

Jyn did introductions, not stumbling over Ben’s presence the way Rey would have. Instead, her older sister simply said, “This is Ben, from the Force. He works with Rey and didn’t have any plans today, so I suggested he spend it with us. Be nice.”

 

And that was that. She returned to the kitchen with Bodhi and Chirrut to finish dinner. Everyone in the apartment knew better than to go against the brunette with the chopped bangs.

 

Well everyone except Cassian.

 

“So you’re Kylo Ren,” the dark-haired man queried, his eyes steady.

 

He inspected Ben with a suspicious gaze. Rey had seen lesser men back away from her sister’s boyfriend. Before he’d come to the States, he’d work for the Mexican cartel. It had been Baze and Chirrut who got him out and got him on the right side of the law. Of course, there was no right side of the law when it came to Jyn or Rey. Not to Cassian.

 

“That’s my on-air persona, yes,” Ben nodded, as Rey strategically placed herself between them.

 

Ben towered over Cassian, but she didn’t think the height difference would stop the former enforcer.

 

“Is it your on-air persona which propositioned Rey?”

 

Her cheeks burned while the energy between the two men crackled.

 

“Rey agreed to the wager,” Ben pointed out irritably. “Besides,” he slipped an arm around her waist, drawing her in so she was tucked into his side, “she knows it’s just for ratings. Anything that happens off-air between us is her choice.”

 

Cassian’s gaze flickered to where they were joined, before he stared directly at her. “Rey?”

 

“It’s fine, Cass,” she forced her voice to remain even to placate Jyn’s boyfriend.

 

“If you say so,” he muttered, leaving them to join Jyn in the kitchen.

 

“He’s...”

 

“Overprotective,” Rey supplied.

 

“I was going to say intense,” Ben finished. “I thought he was going to pull out a knife.”

 

A nervous laugh bubbled up before Rey could contain it. “No, he hasn’t done that in years.”

 

Ben’s face paled and his eyes widened. “Wait, what?”

 

* * *

 

 

It was a Christmas miracle they made it through dinner without further incident, so Rey should have suspected something would go wrong. She’d offered to wash the dishes, since everyone else cooked and Ben, who hadn’t left her side since her joke about Cassian, offered to dry. Finn and Poe brought all the dishes in from the living room, giving the others a much needed break.

 

“So Ben...or do you prefer Kylo?” Finn started.

 

“Ben’s fine.”

 

“Ben, then,” Finn continued. “So no plans on Christmas, huh? Why’s that?”

 

“I’m Jewish,” he replied flatly.

 

Rey froze. While Jyn and her weren’t religious, she’d never stopped to consider if Ben was. She’d mentioned their Christmas dinner to him after her shopping trip. When Ben told her he didn’t have plans that day, she’d instantly invited him. It had never occurred to her to ask why he didn’t have plans.

 

“So It has nothing to do with the fact you and your mother aren’t on speaking terms then?” Finn pressed, his unspoken judgment catching Rey’s ear.

 

“Excuse me?” Ben raised an eyebrow.

 

“Finn, cut it out,” Rey snapped. She knew he was angry at her for bailing on him and Poe Friday night to go to the Halestorm concert, but making assumptions about Ben’s parents was a bit far-fetched.

 

“Did you know? Did he tell you?” Finn went on.

 

“Tell me what?” Rey asked.

 

“That his mother is Mayor Organa.”

 

“What?” Rey nearly dropped Baze’s serving platter.

 

“Aren’t you clever,” Ben replied sarcastically to Finn. “Google much?”

 

“Listen, man, I’m on to you,” Finn stepped closer to Ben, eyes narrowing.

 

“Oh,” Ben chuckled. “Well now I’m scared.”

 

“Ben,” Rey groaned, shaking her head.

 

So much for peace on Earth.

 

“You don’t get to cry to my best friend and manipulate her for your own selfish purposes, like you did with the rest of your family,” Finn snarled. “You don’t belong here.”

 

“Finn,” Rey toweled off her hands, moving to lead him from the room, but Ben’s hand on her shoulder stopped her.

 

“Not that it’s any of your business, Big Deal,” Ben informed him, “but my mother was the manipulator, or have you forgotten her career of choice — politician. The reason I had nowhere to go today wasn’t because I was trying to crash your holiday, it was because I’ve never had a holiday. My family never celebrated anything...at least not with me.”

 

Rey felt her heart twist and something dark and cold spread through her at Ben’s confession. She didn’t know Leia Organa well, but even if she had, Rey was certain it wouldn’t matter. No one looked the way Ben did when they lied. There wasn’t a single ounce of deceit in him. In fact, he appeared younger, the most vulnerable she’d ever seen him.

 

“Come on,” she tugged on his arm. “Let’s go.”

 

“Rey-.”

 

“You two can finish the dishes,” she cut Finn off. “If you don’t want Ben here, then you obviously don’t want me here either.”

 

“Peanut-.”

 

“Bye, Finn.”

 

After a brief round of hugs and well wishes for the holiday season, Rey and Ben exited the apartment, arms laden with gifts from her little rag-tag family.

 

Once they were in his car, Rey sighed, rubbing her temples. “I’m sorry. I should have asked if you even wanted to come today. I just didn’t like the idea of you being alone on Christmas. I spent enough alone as a kid and I never want anyone to go through that.”

 

“Rey,” he reached over, taking her hand. “What you just did back there...no one,” he paused, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed thickly. “No one had ever done anything like that for me before. Thank you.”

 

They stared at one another for a long moment. Despite the Christmas carolers and honking horns from the typical city traffic, they didn’t so much as blink. Rey noted how Ben’s chocolate orbs became warmer, almost the color of rich caramel, almost as if flecks of gold from her own hazel eyes had joined his.

 

Then Ben’s hand was cupping the side of her face as he leaned in. His lips were soft and full as they pressed to her own.

 

“Merry Christmas, Rey.”

 

“Merry Christmas, Ben.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So plot found it's way into this smutty tale, but don't worry...the wager is still on  
> 
> 
> Philly Notes:  
> \- [Fishtown](https://www.visitphilly.com/areas/philadelphia-neighborhoods/fishtown/)
> 
> As always, feel free to DM through tumblr [@wewantreylo](https://wewantreylo.tumblr.com/).


	6. You’ve Got Another Thing Coming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey return to work...and the wager

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta, [Robyn](http://reysexualkylo.tumblr.com/) for her constant support on this story.

 

Something had changed over the holiday weekend. Ben knew it. He knew Rey knew it too. Yet neither of them could put words to it, too afraid to disrupt the delicate bubble they found themselves living in. 

 

When Wednesday morning arrived, Ben woke up to the sounds of his alarm. It was typical, familiar. What wasn’t typical, though it was becoming familiar, was the feel of a smaller body tucked into his. 

 

_ Rey. _

 

She nuzzled her face against him, completely unaware of his eyes on her. Tenderly, Ben reached over, pushing her hair from her face so he could see her better. The ferocity of how she defended him yesterday was still fresh in his mind, one of those key changes in their relationship over the course of the last few days. 

 

Ben wasn’t sure when he’d noticed the change in himself, but he could pinpoint the exact moment he saw the change in Rey. 

 

She’d left him Saturday morning to go shopping. He’d fallen back asleep, drifting away to the lingering warmth of her body and the scent of her floral shampoo. When he’d woken up to find his apartment empty, he immediately reached for his phone to text her.

 

But she’d beat him to it. 

 

She’d asked him what his plans were for Christmas and when he’d responded with ‘none,’ she shot him back an invitation to join her family. She asked as if it was already a done deal, as if she knew he’d say yes, as if she expected him to be there with her. He hadn’t stopped grinning the rest of the day. 

 

_ Hmmm…  _ Maybe he did know when things changed for him. 

 

Stroking his longer fingers down her bare back, Ben smiled at her. He’d convinced her to stay over, even though they both had to return to the studio today. 

 

After a quick stop at her apartment, so she could grab a fresh change of clothes, they’d come home. They spent the holiday the way Ben had done each year before — sitting on the couch watching  _ Serenity _ and eating Chinese. This year, his company was a vast improvement on the long-standing tradition. 

 

As his snooze went off, Ben was reminded he had somewhere to be — somewhere besides lying naked in bed with the woman who was rapidly becoming his favorite thing. 

 

Gently, he nudged her. “Rey?” She grumbled something unintelligible, rolling away from him. He tried again, “Rey?” 

 

“What?” She groaned.

 

“Time to go back to work, sweetheart,” he placed a kiss on her shoulder blade to soften the blow of reality. 

 

“No,” she whined, burrowing under the sheets.

 

“I mean you could forfeit,” he teased. 

 

_ One, two, thr— _

 

Rey jumped up, throwing the covers back. “No way!” She hopped out of bed, gathering up here things and scurrying into his bathroom. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily, Solo!” Rey shouted out to him, standing in the doorway with a toothbrush in one hand and the other wrestling with her jean’s zipper, as she hurried to put herself together. 

 

“Whatever you say, sweetheart,” he chuckled.

 

She shot him a glare and slammed the door shut to finish getting ready. 

 

And that’s when it hit him. Today was Wednesday. New Year’s Eve was Monday. 

 

That left him with less than a week. 

 

He had less than a week to devise a way out of the bet which didn’t force him to choose between the two most important things in his life: his career or Rey. 

 

* * *

The studio seemed louder than normal when they arrived. Their holiday staff was coming off shift, as the regulars slowly came back into the fold. The transition should have been seamless, but he noticed that more than one of the regulars were hungover.    
  


Normally Ben would be annoyed by their lack of professionalism, but today it worked in his favor. No one saw Rey enter from the parking lot stairwell, trailing right behind him. She hurried down the hall without a word, as he headed to his booth.    
  


Ben had to fight the urge to reach out and kiss her. Outside of their bubble, the real world started to poke holes in their carefully constructed arrangement, reminding him of the Catch-22 he created for himself. If he let Rey win the bet or called it off, all his hard work would be lost. But if he didn’t, he’d lose her.    
  


What choice did he have?    
  


“Good morning,” Mitaka intercepted him outside of the booth, handing Ben a run down of the ad messaging between sets. “How was your holiday?”   
  


“Fine,” Ben muttered, eyes following Rey until she disappeared into the break room.    
  


Mitaka caught the subject of his interest. “You shouldn’t have pushed her so far,” the on-air manager commented.   
  


Ben glowered at the man. “I’m the top grossing employee here. I can do whatever I want,” he spat, entering the booth and slamming the door behind him.    
  


Mitaka didn’t get to tell him how to handle Rey. Ben knew how to handle her. He knew exactly which buttons to push and how to make her fall apart. He knew her better than anyone else here.    
  


No one understood how docile she was in the afterglow or how her over sensitive body shivered in response to the lightest of touches. No one felt her lips curl around their fingers as they fed her or hear how those same lips could spew the dirtiest commands. No one else got to see her singing in the shower or padding around half naked before breakfast. And no one ever would.    
  


Ben was going to make sure of that.    
  


One way or another.   
  


He sat down at his control board, verifying all the configurations, as the timer on his left counted down until he was on-air. Traditionally on his first day back, he tended to do a quick recap of recent events before jumping into upcoming shows and new music line-ups.   
  


A list has already been prepared as part of Mitaka’s role. Ben was scanning the highlights when he heard the booth door click open.   
  


Rey slid inside and sauntered over to him.    
  


“Sweetheart, I’m about to go on-air, so unless-.”   
  


She pressed a finger to hips lips, silencing him. Grinning coyly, Rey moved behind him, her fingers massaging his shoulder blades. Ben closed his eyes, surprised but overwhelming pleased by the gesture. It certainly was a nice way to return to work.    
  


As she kneaded the knots around his upper back, Ben lost track of the time. He floated away, all concerns about what to do about the wager and his fury at Mitaka gone. As unexpected as Rey’s defense of him had been, he was equally shocked by how apt she was at relaxing him in such an intimate manner. It killed any lingering doubts that she didn’t feel what he did.    
  


Things had indeed changed.    
  


The timer went off, snapping him back into reality.    
  


He scooted his chair forward, flicking his mic on. “Hello Philly,” he hailed his listeners. “Whether you are driving yourself into the office this morning or still praying to the porcelain god because you overdid it with the eggnog, the Force 104.5 is here for you.”   
  


Ben started with his recap, dimly aware of Rey’s hands releasing his muscles. He didn’t have to wonder where she went for long. She dropped to her knees, crawling under the desk between his thighs. His breath caught when her hand pressed up to palm him through his slacks.    
  


“And now to a commercial,” he hastily switched over to their first advertisement segment. Double checking his mic was muted, Ben glanced down at Rey. “What are you doing?”    
  


“Reminding you I will not forfeit,” she smirked.    
  


Berating her for going down on him in the booth seemed hypocritical. After all, he’d imagined bending her over his control panel — among other things — more times than he could count. But that was who he was, Kylo ‘Nobody Cares’ Ren. That wasn’t who Rey was.   
  


Until now, apparently.   
  


She unbuckled his belt, her slim fingers taking hold of his zipper and freeing his hardening length from the confines of his pants. Ben groaned when he felt her grasp him through his boxers.    
  


The red digits on the countdown clock hit single digits. Ben swallowed thickly. She couldn’t possibly mean to—   
  


“W-We’re back,” he fought himself to keep his voice level. “If you’re searching for seats to one of Ghost’s upcoming shows, I hope you have your passport, because the band isn’t set to play State-side until May. Here’s ‘Dance Macabre’ from their new album Prequelle.”   
  


Ben switched off his mic just as Rey rolled her lips over the head of his cock. He gripped his arm rests, inhaling a raspy breath. Her tongue skimmed over his slit, causing a shudder to ripple through his body. Ben leaned down in his seat, granting her easier access. Rey peeled down his pants and boxers, freeing his hips for her use. 

 

“Now about that bet,” she grinned devilishly up at him. 

 

Her hands wrapped around him, pumping him a few times before she took him in her mouth. The delicious heat enveloped him and Ben’s hands latched onto the counter top. 

 

She worked down him slowly, excruciating in her precision to swallow him inch by inch. He knew he was large, but seeing Rey’s perfect little mouth wrapped around him was on a whole other level. 

 

Ben had heard the phrase ‘cruel and unusual punishment’ before but he’d never fully understood the concept until Rey was on her knees blowing him during his morning program. It was a terrifyingly arousing blend of his worst nightmare and his most depraved fantasy. Yet he couldn’t keep his hips from jerking towards her. 

 

Rey released him with a lewd ‘pop’ and inclined her heads towards his controls. “Time’s up, Ben,” she purred.

 

With shaking fingers, he flicked his mic back on, aware how dangerous this game was but unable to stop. 

 

He went into a rant about the Eagles season and predicted they wouldn’t make it into the playoffs this year. It was an unpopular opinion, but it was probably an accurate one. 

 

As he spoke, Rey resumed. She managed to take nearly all of him, her hands splayed out on his thighs as her head bobbed up and down. Ben fixed his eyes on the content of Mitaka’s folder. If he watched her, he wasn’t going to have to worry about the bet anymore. 

 

When he kicked off a four song block, Ben muted himself, no longer able to hold back his moans of pleasure. His fingers glided from her temples back through her chestnut locks, seizing hold of her. He pulled her off of him. Her eyes met his. 

 

“You better finish what you started,” he growled lowly. 

 

Pursing her lips, Rey shot him a self-satisfied  expression before she ducked down. She licked a stripe up, following the pulsing vein at the center of his throbbing cock. Ben groaned at the feel of her hot tongue on him. He yanked on her hair when she reached the top, swirling her tongue over his head. Rey stuttered for a moment, but recovered.

 

Ben wanted to say filthy things to her, tell her how good she felt, how he enjoyed seeing her this way, but he was rendered incapable of speech when she resumed her short up and down movements. 

 

He felt heat in his core coil like a snake, preparing to strike. The last song began to play on-air. Rey pressed her palm to his sack, rubbing his sensitive area until the coil snapped. Clutching her head against him, Ben’s hips thrust forward. 

 

When he climaxed it was with her name on his lips. By a sheer miracle, he was able to manipulate the sound into a unintelligent roar instead. Ben felt his spend explode into her open mouth. Rey steadied herself, drinking him down. 

 

His hips were still jerking slightly, when he flipped the mic into the ‘On’ position.

 

“And we’re back to discuss the Flyers’ prospects this season.” 

 

As Ben picked up with his program, Rey licked him clean and folded him back into his pants, a smug smile etched onto her face. 

 

* * *

Ben had never been so happy to reach the end of his slot. He’d been a complete mess since Rey slipped out, unseen, from his booth. 

 

He strolled to the break room to grab a cup of coffee but as he entered he caught the tail-end of a conversation between two of the technical associates, Pyre and Elrik.   
  


“...and that ass. I’d like to give it a good smack. Bet she’d like it. Bet with a voice like that she gets loud in the sack too,” Pyre was saying.   
  


“Probably,” Elrik agreed where he sat at the break table opposite Pyre. “It’s always the quiet ones who are kinky as—,” he stopped upon seeing Ben in the doorway.    
  


“No,” he narrowed his eyes at the two, “please continue.”    
  


Both the younger men noticeably swallowed. Though they could have been talking about a handful of women, Ben knew exactly who they were referring to. And it made his blood boil.    
  


When neither one of them spoke, Ben sidled over, placing his hands on the table top. “Unless you want me to report you to HR, here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to start taking your breaks in the Smoker’s corner outside and if you so much as look at Niima the wrong way, I’m going to make sure you never work in this city again. Understood?”   
  


The guys nodded.    
  


“Say it,” he hissed.   
  


“Understood,” they chorused.   
  


“Good. Now get out,” he barked.    
  


Pyre and Elrik scrambled to their feet, shoving into each other as they attempted to escape him.    
  


Ben almost laughed. Almost.   
  


Forgetting all about coffee, he went to check on Rey. She was scheduled to go on any second, which gave him the perfect opportunity for a little payback.    
  


He caught a glimpse of her through the window on the booth door. She was in the middle of her initial intro, her face full of light and eagerness as she shared updates with her fans.    
  


Ben smirked. She wouldn’t even see him coming.    
  


Cautiously, he opened the door, moving as stealthily as possible so as not to scare her while she was broadcasting. Ben saw her back straighten, her body stiffening in apprehension as he approached.    
  


He waited until she switched over to a commercial. “All’s fair, sweetheart,” Ben smirked, spinning her in her chair to face him.    
  


“The last time I checked, Solo, this wasn’t love or war,” Rey snarked.   
  


“Isn’t it?”    
  


Without giving her a chance to answer or giving himself a chance to question his word choice, he surged forward. He captured her lips with his own, silencing both of their minds. Rey’s eyes fluttered closed, her hands rising to hold onto his biceps as he hovered closer.    
  


She opened for him without hesitation, as if they’d been doing this for weeks instead of days. Ben liked the idea of doing this regularly, of having Rey regularly.    
  


Her timer, a newer model clock with blue digital numbers ticked away their seconds. Ben broke free, giving Rey a reprieve before she needed to be back on the air.    
  


Ben gave her a moment to collect herself but the second she flicked her mic on, he was on her. Kneeling down, he rolled up her shirt. She jumped as his fingers skimmed over her thighs. Ben delighted in the way she lost her train of thought when he began to peel down her tights.    
  


While Rey started in on her top artists to watch in 2019, Ben noticed she wasn’t wearing any panties.    
  


_ Naughty girl. _   
  


He leaned in, one hand braced on her inner thigh while the other traced her core. She was already shimmering with slick. Ben couldn’t help but take a taste. Rey bit down on her bottom lip. He flashed her a mischievous grin, as he lowered his head down to her cunt. Rey held his gaze until he disappeared under her skirt.   
  


Ben started slow, circling his tongue over her entrance. Rey exhaled in short bursts, hiding her reaction with a cough. His fingers teased her clit lightly while his tongue swished back and forth, up and down until he found the right pattern.    
  


Her hips lifted off the seat, angling towards him. He pictured how her lips must be parting and how she was probably making the perfect ‘o’ shape with her mouth. His tongue delved into her wet folds, lapping at her juices. The further he pressed in, the more difficult it was for her to contain herself. 

 

Each time Ben heard her click the mic on or off, he increased his ministrations accordingly. He brought her to the brink, Rey perched on the edge of her chair grinding into his face, as her hands clenched the seat beneath her. 

 

As her orgasm crested, he caught a flicker of something in her eyes and suddenly he knew what was coming. 

 

Before she could cry out his name, Ben reached up and clamped his hand over her mouth. Rey’s body shook against him, the waves of her climax rushing through her with intensity. It took her several moments to come down from her high. Once she was quiet, Ben removed his hand and stood up.    
  


She raised a questioning brow at him. Ben only had one answer for her.    
  


“We’re not done yet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Philly (and not so Philly) Notes:  
> \- [Ghost](http://ghost-official.com/)  
> \- [Eagles](https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/)  
> \- [Flyers](https://www.nhl.com/flyers)
> 
>  
> 
> Started another reylo fic, because I have no self-control [No Shirt, No Shoes ...Big Problem](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17503037/chapters/41228597)


	7. Civil War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As New Year's Eve approaches, Luke shares some information with Rey which may change the course of her relationship with Ben...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from the Guns n' Roses song. 
> 
> Thank you to [Robyn](http://reysexualkylo.tumblr.com/) for beta-ing this chapter for me!

Rey didn’t know what to make of Ben. When he brought her to orgasm during the first set of her show, she’d basically conceded. The only reason she hadn’t cried out his name was because he’d slapped a hand over her mouth. The wager had been his idea, so what reason did he have for stopping her?

 

 

While on her way home, her heart pounded in her chest. The rest of her shift had been uneventful, though to be fair, she was still coming down from the high of Ben’s mouth on her. Rey shivered as she thought about how big of a risk she’d taken by following him into his booth. It was certainly the most daring she’d ever been. Of course, he made her feel that way.

 

 

Since they started whatever it was they were doing, Rey felt alive, as if she’d experienced an awakening. Her body was primed like a live wire. It was the heady rush of the forbidden, a foray into the unknown, followed by a delicious surge of endorphins. All it took was one suggestive look or one word from his plush lips and she was ready for him.

 

 

In the back of her mind, sirens were going off. Little red flags waved in warning, but Rey ignored them, because despite going against every good-girl instinct she had, she loved it. She loved how it felt to be wanted. She loved how perfectly they fit together. She loved how easy it was to let Ben take control or how rewarding it was for her to take control of him. They were breaking so many rules. Each time they interacted, Ben was tearing away at the her foundation, until she was asking herself: Why did something so wrong, have to feel so right?

 

 

It was that very question Rey mulled over the remainder of her ride. When the bus pulled to the stop nearest her apartment, she stepped down, still worrying on her bottom lip.

 

 

They hadn’t discussed the change which happened on Christmas, but Rey knew he felt it too. Something had shifted that day. It wasn’t something she wanted to label or even something she thought she could. They were entering new territory, a place which was just as easy to fall into as the dangerous game they continued to play with one another. Only in this game she was going to lose more than a simple wager.

 

 

She was going to lose her heart.

 

 

The realization hit Rey hard. It struck her with such force like the meteor to her earth, striking her at her core and leaving an impression far greater than she anticipated.

 

 

Falling for Ben had never been part of the plan. She wasn’t supposed to actually feel anything. The bet was the opportunity she needed to secure her spot at the station. If she was also able to rub Kylo Ren’s smug nose in her success afterwards, then that was an added perk. Except, the more Rey spent time with Ben, the more she saw the differences between his carefully crafted on-air persona and the man behind the mic.

 

 

She’d chewed her lip raw by the time Rey entered her building and began climbing the steps towards her unit. Those four little words — _We’re not done yet_ — played over in her mind. Initially, Rey had assumed it meant it as a challenge, goading her into another round of their wager. The more she thought about his tone, though, the more she saw Ben in his response, not Kylo Ren. Ben, who was perpetually alone at the station and who rarely interacted with anyone outside of his job. Ben, who listened to her show enough to realize her favorite song and called in a favor to have it played at a live show. Ben, who she’d spent Christmas with instead of her family.

 

Rey smiled to herself. If there was a chance, he felt the same way she felt, was there also a chance for them after the first? The survivor in her reminded Rey that she’d been disappointed before. Ben’s interest in her could purely be out of necessity to remain in the number one spot. His job was all he had. She understood how desperately a person could cling to their only comfort and as much as it would hurt, she also understood enough to not fault him entirely for it.

 

Her warring emotions distracted her and she failed to notice a familiar towering figure leaning against the entrance to her apartment.

 

 

“Hey sweetheart.” Rey jumped slightly, her eyes flickering up to his face, as his grin widened. “You left before I could find you. I would have driven you home.”

 

 

She felt warmth fill her chest. They’d barely spent any time apart since Ben had come here Friday night. Rey found she didn’t want that to change.

 

 

_Danger, Will Robinson!_

 

 

Ducking her head down to hide her blush, she stepped around him to unlock the door. “You don’t have to chauffeur me around. I always take the bus,” she replied.

 

 

“I don’t mind,” Ben pointed out, taking her backpack for her as she opened the door.

 

 

“Ben.”

 

 

“What?” he asked, but there was a teasing smirk on his full lips.

 

 

“What are you doing?”

 

 

“Just helping,” he shrugged nonchalantly.

 

 

How was she supposed to stop feeling more than carnal desire for this man when he insisted on taking care of her?

 

Ben waltzed into her apartment, setting her bag down in its normal spot and proceeding to strip down as he made his way to the shower. Rey bit her lip, watching him. One thing was for sure. She was going to ring in 2019 like it was her last night on Earth.

 

 

* * *

 

Despite Rey’s concerns around Ben’s intentions, she didn’t fight him on his offer to drive them between her apartment and the station. She wasn’t going to complain about the fact she didn’t have to ride the bus, which required her to wake up an hour earlier in the morning. And she definitely wasn’t going to complain about the fact his car was equipped with seat warmers. It was December after all and the average high was around forty-four degrees Fahrenheit.

 

 

When they arrived at the Force on Sunday morning, it was still dark. Ben took her backpack along with his, a habit he’d started over the last few days.

 

 

“Santa should have brought you a Tumi,” he commented, as they walked side by side into the building.

 

 

Rey snorted. “Do you know how much one of those bags cost?”

 

 

“It’s worth it,” Ben argued. “They hold up. My mother has had the same one for the last fifteen years.”

 

 

“Your mom? Leia?”

 

 

In the entire time she’d known Ben, he hadn’t once spoken about his parents. Until Christmas, that is. The topic of family never came up on his radio show or in during any of the office functions. Admittedly, Rey didn’t discuss that topic either. What little she knew of her parents wasn’t something she wanted to share with the world. She assumed if Ben didn’t talk about them, there was something equally upsetting in his background.

 

 

He scratched the back of his neck. “She travels a lot so it was necessary for her to have a professional looking bag,” he responded, as if that explained why he’d never brought up his mother before.

 

 

Ben held the door open for her and Rey shot him a questioning gaze as she slipped inside. When he didn’t acknowledge her silent query, she pushed.

 

 

“Why didn't your mother go into the radio business like you and your uncle? Why did she choose politics?”

 

 

“You don’t know?” he asked, genuinely surprised.

 

 

“Know what?”

 

 

Ben opened his mouth to reply, when Luke appeared. “Ben. Rey.”

 

 

“Morning,” she grinned cheerily, pretending she hadn’t showed up for her set four hours earlier than required.

 

 

“Uncle,” Ben nodded tersely.

 

 

Luke’s eyes flickered between the two of them and Rey felt as though she’d gotten her hand caught in the cookie jar.  It was a phrase she’d heard countless times growing up, but Unkar Plutt hasn’t been the type to have cookies or jars....or kids for that matter. It was why she’d been so grateful when she’d been sent to live with Maz and Saw.

 

 

“Can I help you with something?” Ben asked, when no one made a move.

 

 

“Actually, I would like to speak with Rey,” Luke replied.

 

 

Ben’s gaze snapped to her face, but she ignored it, continuing to act as though there was nothing unusual about her arriving at work before six. She followed Luke back towards his office. Rey didn’t see Ben watch her as he entered his booth, though she felt his eyes on her. Thanks to the soundproofed walls, she also didn’t hear when he kicked over the trash can.

 

 

When she entered behind the station manager, Luke requested, “Close the door, Rey.” She did as he asked, before taking the seat across from his desk.

 

 

“Rey,” Luke started, “You’ve been with us for a while now and you’ve done an amazing job getting your ratings up.”

 

 

“Thank you.”

 

 

“I think you have the potential to be with us for a long time,” Luke continued. Rey began to thank him, but he kept going. “My only concern is your sudden interest in Ben’s show.”

 

 

Rey felt a chill run through her. “Excuse me?”

 

 

“You’ve been carpooling together since the holiday,” Luke pointed out, “and I saw you both have become quite...intimate since the rating scam Ben pulled on air.”

 

 

She swallowed, worry flooding her as she wondered just how much Luke had noticed. His word choice had her afraid she’d be receiving a call from HR before lunch.

 

 

“Am I being reprimanded?”

 

 

“No,” Luke shook his head. “Nothing like that. I think it’s admirable of you to support your coworker, but Ben isn’t someone you should spend your talents on.”

 

 

Rey’s brow pinched together. She stared at her supervisor in disbelief, “What do you mean?”

 

 

“Ben’s antics may have gained followers for our station over the last few years but the quality of his content has decreased over his tenure, This last year in particular,” Luke informed her and Rey felt her chest tightened. “It may be time for rebranding and restructuring.”

 

 

“Restructuring?”

 

 

“Yes,” Luke nodded again. “Ben’s numbers have always been strong, but I think we could achieve more with you. Your fresh take on things is breathing new life into this old station and now that Jessika is ready to come off maternity leave, she could fill your old time slot.”

 

 

“Y-you’re getting rid of Ben’s segment?”

 

 

“Not getting rid of,” Luke corrected. “Rebranding.”

 

 

“But this is his family’s company!” Rey stood up. Her fears of being sent to HR vanished in the face of what her boss was proposing. “Did you even mention this new direction to Ben?”

 

 

Luke frowned. “My nephew has never been good at receiving feedback and he doesn’t handle change well.”

 

 

“So you’re just going to blindside him?” Rey heard herself raising her voice but she couldn’t stop. “Have you tried coaching him?”

 

 

“Ben won’t listen to me.”

 

 

“He’ll listen to me,” Rey insisted before she even realized what she was doing. “If I can convince him to alter his content, will you agree to give him another chance?”

 

 

“Rey-.”

 

 

“Will you?” she cut him off, narrowing her eyes.

 

 

He sighed, shaking his head defeatedly. “This isn’t going to go the way you think.”

 

 

“Maybe not,” Rey admitted, “but at least I’m going to try.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

After their conversation, Rey found herself going through the motions, unable to fully focus on anything as she tried to come up with a way to position Luke’s changes to Ben.

 

 

She wasn’t sure what had possessed her to fight for his job. Even if Rey did want his scheduled slot, it wasn’t as though she wanted him fired. If she got the number one spot, she wanted to have earned it. Going behind Ben’s back with the station manager was not the way. It bothered her how detached Luke was from the entire suggestion. She’d always looked up to Mr. Skywalker but after this morning, her opinion of him was tainted. How could he think so little of his own nephew?

 

 

By the end of her set, Rey was exhausted. Between song blocks and commercial breaks, she’d scribbled out ideas on how to transform Ben’s _Kylo ‘No One Cares’ Ren_ segment, with the knowledge she’d have to ease him into it. The ideas had merit, for someone who wasn’t Ben, but she knew how committed he was to his persona. It would be a hard sell.

 

 

Her phone pinged on the desk.

 

 

_Ready to go?_

 

 

She glanced up to see Ben waiting outside her booth. He winked when he caught her eye.

 

 

Rey quickly typed back a response and waited for the end of the final commercial to transition her set over. She gathered up her things and slung her backpack over one shoulder.

 

 

“Hey,” Ben greeted her when she slipped out of the booth.

 

 

“Hey.”

 

 

“What did my uncle want?” he questioned her as they walked out.

 

 

Rey gripped the strap of her bag tighter. “Can we talk about it later?”

 

 

Ben pursed his lips but didn’t press. Instead he changed topics. “So tomorrow...”

 

 

“Tomorrow,” Rey echoed, her mind on everything but their wager. It wasn’t nearly as important as the fact Ben might be losing his job. His persona and the station were everything to him. Who would he be without the Force 104.5?

 

 

“Are you going to come with me to the party or am I going to have to convince you?”

 

 

If she had been paying attention, she would have understood there was less than thirty-six hours left for Ben to make her scream. As it was, Rey was too busy coming up with a plan to keep him from screaming...some very harsh words at Luke before he destroyed the studio in a fit of rage.

 

 

“Rey?” Ben stopped in the middle of the parking lot. She stopped too.

 

 

“Hmmm?”

 

 

“Are you alright? You’ve been...off all morning. Did something happen with Luke?”

 

 

“No, no,” she assured him, though she didn’t sound convincing.

 

 

“Rey.”

 

 

“Can we please go home?” she begged. “I’m tired and I could use a drink.”

 

 

“Yeah, a meeting with my uncle will do that to you,” he chuckled, misinterpreting her distress. “Get in,” he gestured to his car. “We’ll stop by your place and then we’re going to mine.”

 

 

“Why?”

 

 

“Because my mattress is better and your water pressure is shit.”

 

 

Well, she couldn’t argue with that...

 

 

The drive to Ben’s apartment was silent. If Rey hadn’t been lost in her own headspace about Luke’s revelation, she might have noted how ironic that was for two radio personalities. It was still early afternoon, so the traffic was at an all-time low — at least by city standards — and they were pulling up to his place before three.

 

As she walked into his bedroom, Rey saw clean sheets on the bed. His apartment had been cleaned. She blushed realizing he must have had a service come in, since he’d spent nearly every minute with her over the last week. She wondered what the cleaners thought about the rumpled sheets and clothing strewn about. Had they been surprised? Horrified?

 

Rey wasn’t sure how to feel about it herself. She’d been wrestling with her emotions for days. The added weight of Luke’s plan only confused her more. She was more invested in saving Ben’s spot than securing it for herself.

 

“Why don’t you get comfortable? I’ll break out the scotch,” Ben suggested, kissing her temple.

 

It was so casual. The way he moved around her, the way he kept finding ways to touch her or kiss her. It was like they’d always be doing this, as if they’d reached some sort of unspoken agreement. Rey was tempted to let the bet run out merely to see what was real and what was a product of her imagination.

 

Though, as Ben poured their drinks in the kitchen, she began to think it was all real.

 

She changed out of her outfit, opting for the comfort of her favorite wool socks and a grey oversized long-sleeved tee. At the last second, she grabbed a pair of his boxers, slipping them on under her shirt. They were far too large, so she was forced to roll them several times before she could move without the threat of them falling off.

 

When Ben approached with two glasses of amber liquid, his eyes flashed to the hint of plaid peeking out from under her shirt. His pupils widened, the irises darkening possessively.

 

“Are those mine?”

 

Rey nodded. “Do you mind?”

 

“No,” he chuckled. “I told you to get comfortable.”

 

He presented her a glass, watching her grasp it with both hands before taking a tiny sip. Rey winced at the burn. Bourbon wasn’t something she drank often. Jyn preferred whiskey like Maz, while Poe and Finn stuck to beer.

 

“Not what you were expecting?” he asked.

 

She shook her head, trying not to appear inexperienced with the liquor. “It’s an acquired taste. I have some beer in the fridge,” he offered.

 

Rey smiled meekly. “Please?”

 

“You got it, sweetheart.” He leaned in, kissing the corner of her mouth.

 

Ben removed the glass from her hands, taking it back to the kitchen, while she followed to go sit on the couch.

 

The way he referred to her as sweetheart had even changed. Last week, it sounded like a taunt, like he was purposely trying to goad her. The way he pronounced it the last couple of days sounded like an endearment. It came as easily as the soft touches and chaste kisses. Would he still behave like this after tomorrow?

 

Rey began to worry on her lower lip again. Ben joined her on the couch, a bottle of beer in hand. She took it gratefully, taking a long swig of the cold brew.

 

“My uncle must’ve really done a number on you,” Ben observed, leaning into the couch and laying his arm across the back.

 

“He knows,” Rey heard herself blurt out.

 

Ben stiffened, his face contemplative for a moment. “Is he sending you to HR?”

 

“No,” Rey answered honestly, seeing some of the tension leave Ben. “But he did mention some...changes.”

 

“What kind of changes?”

 

“Luke wants to rebrand the sets,” she admitted.

 

“My set?” Ben questioned, setting his bourbon down and turning to face her.

 

She nodded. Ben hissed out a curse, slamming his fist down onto the empty couch cushion next to him. Rey jolted, eyeing him warily. Had she made a mistake in telling him?

 

“When?” He asked, glaring at the floor.

 

“After the first of the year.” She couldn’t keep it from him. Even if he tossed her out, Rey knew Ben deserved the truth. “He asked me about taking over.”

 

He latched onto her, a burning intensity in his gaze wholly unlike the sexually charged one he normally sent her way. “And what did you say?” Ben spoke slowly.

 

Rey sighed and recounted the entire conversation with Luke. By the end, she was so nervous about Ben’s reaction she couldn’t even touch her beer. For a long moment he didn’t say anything, didn’t even move. Rey held her breath, watching him watch her with an unreadable expression. Then, finally, he exhaled.

 

And chuckled.

 

Her brow creased. This was not the reaction she’d expected.

 

“That’s the second time you’ve stood up for me, Niima,” he smirked. He drank the rest of his bourbon in one shot. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you actually liked me.”

 

Rey’s cheeks flushed instantly. It was ridiculous to be shy about what he was insinuating, especially considering what they’d gotten away with at the station. Yet, she wasn’t able to stop the heat from turning her skin crimson.

 

“Maybe more than like me?” he pressed, scooting closer to her.

 

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Solo,” she retorted defiantly, but he caught the waver in her voice.

 

“You still didn’t give me an answer about tomorrow night, sweetheart,” he reminded her, leaning in, one hand skimming up her bare thigh.

 

Rey had forgotten about the New Year’s Eve party. She’d gone before, as an attendee, not as part of her role at the station. This year though, any appearance she made wouldn’t only be tied to her Kira Kenobi persona, but also the bet.

 

“Do I need to convince you?” Ben asked, his hand continuing to slide north.

 

The red flags were waving, but Rey couldn’t see them anymore. All she could see was those enticing chocolate orbs. She was falling.

 

With a smile, she replied, “You can try.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your supportive comments! They really make my day. <3


	8. It's the End of the World as We Know It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Midnight strikes! And the winner is...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the lovely comments and all the speculation. I adore all reading each and every one. Seeing my inbox filled with your messages is so inspiring! 
> 
> Chapter title from the R.E.M song. Does anyone else remember this song? It's one of those I can never get out of my head. 
> 
> Thanks to my lovely and talented beta, [Robyn](http://reysexualkylo.tumblr.com/). If you haven't read it already, I highly recommend her new fic: [The Unheavenly Creatures](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17259008/chapters/40586162). It's amazingly well-written and so unique.

Ben woke on New Year’s Eve to his dream made reality. Rey’s naked body was pressed up against his, her arms woven around a pillow. She was facing away from him, her ass propped up against his pelvis.

 

Even after he’d convinced her to join him at the party, they hadn’t gone any further than before. Ben wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep quiet, but he knew he couldn’t. He’d felt how tightly her walls clamped down on his fingers. There was no hope for him.

 

The news she’d shared, regarding his uncle’s plans, wasn’t as surprising as it should have been. Luke and Ben had never been on the same page. Ben recognized Luke wasn’t pleased with his antics, even if they did bring up their numbers and bring in promoters. His uncle had never believed in the crude reality Ben chose to share with his followers. Luke subscribed to an older, more traditional version of radio. Rey’s style was somewhere in the middle, and Ben guaranteed his uncle would try to sway her.

 

They’d discussed ways around it over dinner last night. Ben made her spaghetti carbonara. While he cooked, Rey reviewed the options she’d thought up. A few of them were instantly vetoed, but he had to admit, most of them were feasible. If he hadn’t been falling for her already, he would have then. Hearing how much time she’d spent worried over his career only proved he’d made a mistake. He had yet to find a solution to the problem he’d created for himself.

 

With less than twelve hours to find a way out of the bet, things were looking grim. He was nowhere closer to discovering a solution. Surrender would cause him to lose credibility with his fans. Winning would cause him to lose Rey. That left a tie, but how would a tie impact his position at the station, which regardless of the wager was already under scrutiny.

 

Ben sighed, eyes trailing over the delicate curves of Rey’s form, partially hidden beneath his sheets. For such a petite thing, she gave off a lot of heat. He had tossed off the comforter in the middle of night, convinced he was sleeping next to a furnace.

 

“Watching me sleep again?” Rey murmured, rolling to face him.

 

“Guilty,” he grinned.

 

“You do that often, Solo,” She mimicked his smirk. “Care to share why?”

 

“Can’t think of a reason.”

 

“Oh really?” She arched a brow. Ben shrugged. Rey responded by shoving a pillow into his face. “How about now?”

 

His muffled ‘no’ came out, while his long arms stretched around, encircling her waist.

 

“Ben!”

 

That was another thing he’d learned over the course of their time together. Rey Niima was insanely ticklish.

 

“If I knew how easy it was to make you scream, you’d have been doing it a hell of a lot sooner, sweetheart,” he chuckled, as the pillow fell away.

 

Rey’s smile vanished at his words. The weight of his wager hung in the air between them, killing the mood in one swift punch.

 

She cleared her throat, rising from the bed and hurrying into the bathroom without a word. Ben watched her go, wanting to call it off, wanting to tell her he didn’t care about the number one spot.

 

But he didn’t.

 

He couldn’t lie to her.

 

* * *

 

Ben paced the sidewalk in front of the waterfront entrance.   


She was late. Not fashionably late, as in making a grand entrance fifteen minutes after they were supposed to meet up. No, she was over an hour late. The party was in full swing and his phone was blowing up with calls and texts from the VIP coordinator, who expected Kylo Ren to make an appearance on stage between bands.   


He scratched the back of his neck, exhaling a cloud of hot breath into the chilled December air.   


Where was she?  


He was going to wear a track in the cement, he had walked it so many times. Hands buried in his pockets, head hung down, he continued his brisk strides, a feeble attempt to remain warm while he anxiously waited.   


Rey hadn’t so much as texted him since she left his apartment. Ben tried not to let her absence affect him. It was all in vain. The longer he went without hearing her voice, the more unraveled he felt.   


He visited the gym at his apartment complex, angry rock music blaring in his ears as he attempted to burn off the tension. All he managed to do was work himself up further.   


And when he checked his phone to find no notifications, Ben chucked the device at the wall.   


Which was why he’d spent eight hundred dollars on a new cell before coming to the party. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Ben groaned as the phone rang incessantly in his jacket. It rang until it went to voicemail.  


He couldn’t stall any longer. They were waiting for him and missing an event would only prove to his uncle that Ben wasn’t worth keeping at the studio. Defeatedly, he made his way past the gate.  


“There you are! I thought you were hiding from me,” a familiar voice teased.   


Ben whipped around, his breath catching in his throat when he saw her.  


She was dressed in a fitted red coat which flared out at her hips along with the skirt he could see peeking out from under the wool material. Her hair was done in loose curls, framing her face, which was flushed from the cold. At least she was wearing a cream colored scarf to combat the chill. Her lean legs were wrapped in black tights, ones he wanted to peel off her, once he shucked off the black booties on her feet. Rey was a vision.  


One he seriously wanted to take home instead of spending the next couple of hours sharing her with the rest of the city.   


“Y-you’re here,” he stuttered once he managed to find his voice.   


Rey’s brow creased. “I was here at nine. I tried calling you.”  


Ben dug into his jacket pocket. Sure enough five missed calls from her were displayed on the screen along with about twenty from the event coordinator, one from Luke and one from...his mother?   


He didn’t have time to process that last one, stashing his phone to offer his hand to Rey. “Shall we?” 

 

Rey gave him her hand, encased in wool gloves, the same cream white as her scarf. Ben led her through the gate. They flashed their passes at the security team as they headed past the general population towards the stage.   


“Lzzy will be happy to see you,” he commented, grinning at Rey over his shoulder.   


“I’m happy I get to see her too,” she replied. “Did you ask her to play my song again?”  


He couldn’t keep the smile off his face, so he turned forward. “Not exactly.”

  


* * *

  


Ben watched as Rey took in all the lights around Penn’s Landing. The winter themed decorations were non-denominational, with the exception of the giant Christmas tree at the far end of the ice skating rink. To their right the lamps glittered along the river, reflected on the water’s edge.   


Around then the air thrummed with heavy rock beats, courtesy of Arejay. Lzzy was chatting away with the rest of the band, preparing to go up for their encore, before the final band of the evening and the closer: a fireworks show. The city certainly knew how to ring in the new year.   


He had asked Lzzy to play a certain song, one he was sure Rey would recognize, though he wasn’t sure if she’d recognize why he chose it. Ben hadn’t figured out what to do when the clock struck twelve. After planning the rebrand with Rey, giving up his job wasn’t an option. But he be damned if he gave her up.  


Instinctively, his hand tightened on her hip, keeping her close. She glanced up, all smiles before gazing back out at the river. Ben felt his chest tighten.   


In the last week and a half, she’d gone from snarling insults at him to being a constant fixture in his apartment. The smell of her on his sheets wouldn’t be disappearing any time soon, neither would the warmth of her presence. It was as though she had brought light back into his dismal existence. He couldn’t return to the lonely nights with only his books for company. Not after knowing what it was like to have her. 

 

“This is for all my friends in Philly tonight,” the lead singer stepped up to the edge of the stage. “This is called _Beautiful with You_ .”  


The crowd erupted as the slow paced chords of Lzzy’s intro began playing. Rey shifted in his arms, facing their mutual friend, who was still wearing her signature six-inch stilettos from her performance of _Mz. Hyde_ . The rockstar belted out her ballad and Rey swayed rhythmically in his arms, content to mouth the words along with the singer.  


_I stand naked beside you now_  
_No walls to hide behind_  
_So here are my seal of my scars_  
_Still here you are_  
_I obey my soul and I'm not afraid_  


Rey’s cheeks were pink from the cold, but the longer Ben studied her, the darker the shade became, especially when the bridge hit.

 

 _I've been the strong one for so long_  
_But I was wrong_  
_Does it make you weak if you're needing someone_  
_I'm not holding back and I know what I want_  


He leaned down, intending to press a kiss to the top of her head. Rey surprised him, spinning around and seizing his face between her hands. When her lips met his, Ben forgot all about the ball drop. He forgot about the party and the free drinks. He forgot about the fact Lzzy hadn’t even finished the song.

 

It didn’t matter.  


He knew what he wanted.  


“Let’s get out of here.”  


* * *

  


Remarkably, their Uber ride back to Rey’s apartment was completed in record time. The entire city was off partying. But for the pair of radio personalities the only festivities on their minds were the ones they would be partaking in together.   


Rey’s hands were shaking when she unlocked her door. Ben reached around her, helping fit the key into the lock.   


“Alright, sweetheart?”  


She nodded, rushing inside. Her face was nearly as red as her jacket. Ben bit the inside of his cheek to keep from chuckling.

  
One second she was a shy, docile flower and the next she was luring him into her nest with unwavering desire.   


As Rey crossed her apartment to her bedroom, she began peeling off her many layers, one by one. Ben could only stare as she shed her coat, boots, sweater, skirt, and those enticing black tights. He stood unmoving by her door, grateful he’d thought to shut it before she began her alluring strip tease.   


After she entered the darkened room, she shed her bra and panties. She leaned against the door frame watching him through her long lashes.   


When his brain finally caught up, he practically jumped over the couch in his haste to get to her.   


Rey crawled onto her bed, kneeling at the edge towards him.   


“Are you sure, sweetheart?” he asked, breathlessly.

 

If she told him no, he wouldn’t push her. He understood that, but he also understood he’d need to put as much distance between the sun-kissed goddess before him and himself if she did. Thankfully, she didn’t.  


Rey nodded her confirmation through half-lidded eyes and he caught a peek of her pink tongue as it darted out to lick her lips. He was already half-hard in his pants, watching her kneeling on the bed eagerly waiting for him.   


His hands slipped south from her face to her neck, smoothing down to hover over her breasts. Ben could feel the heat radiating from her bare skin. Her body was pulsing with need. He fully intended to give her exactly what she wanted.   


“Can you feel that, Rey?” he questioned, rolling his erection against her thigh. “That’s what you do to me, sweetheart.”  


She let out a breathy moan, one hand reaching down to cup him through his pants. Ben closed his eyes, relishing how brazen her touches had become.  


Her forehead landed against his collarbone, just under his chin and he titled his own in response to leave kisses along her hairline.   


He quickly unzipped his coat, letting it fall to the floor as he moved onto his shirt. Rey’s nimble fingers undid his belt and freed him from his pants. Ben had to bit down on his lip when she started palming him through his boxers. The thin fabric was almost a nonexistent barrier between their bodies. He could feel the heat flaring between them.

 

His little furnace.

 

Ben eased her backwards, climbing onto the bed in front of her. Rey slid her hands up his bare chest, holding onto his biceps for balance. His lips descended upon hers, open mouthed kisses resulting in smacking sounds.

 

Kissing Rey reminded him of when he snorkeled with his parents as a boy. It was difficult to remember the need for air when he was surrounded by something so amazing. It was  magical.

 

Her fingers carded through his hair, massaging his scalp just the right way. It was both calming and arousing, a strange blend that only Rey seemed to be able to find with the a simple gesture. But Ben loved it.

 

He loved her.

 

The realization should have inspired fear in him, or at the very least it should have registered as shock. Instead he found himself at peace. The missing piece, the other half of him was found. He’d never be without her again.

 

And she’d never be without him. He was going to take care of her.

 

Ben stepped back off the bed to roll his boxers down. His cock sprang forth and Rey took it as an invitation. On her hands and knees, she reached up to lazily pump him. He stepped out of his underwear, eyes locked on her as she worked him with her small hand. She was so tiny compared to him.

 

Once he was bare, Rey ducked her head down. Holding him at the base, she licked a stripe up the underside of his shaft to the head, where she circled her tongue around a couple of times. Ben groaned, lacing his fingers in her hair. Her mouth had been built for more than radio. That was for sure.

 

She took him completely in and Ben’s hips rocked forward of their own volition. Rey bobbed up and down on his cock, her saliva effectively coating him until the lewd slurping sounds of her attentions had his abdomen pinching with a familiar sensation.

 

Ben pressed his hands to her shoulders, gently pulling her off.  


“Lie back, sweetheart,” he coaxed.  


Rey settled down, resting her head on her pillow, as he got into position between her thighs.

 

He guided himself to her entrance, holding himself above her on one arm. She was soaked, her lips glistening with desire. Slowly, he dragged the bulbous head through her slick folds. Rey whined. Her hips lifted up off the mattress, seeking him out. Ben held her down, baring his weight on her hip to keep her in position.

 

“I have what you need sweetheart,” he promised, leaning down to kiss her.

 

Rey grabbed his head, holding his forehead to hers so they were staring eye to eye as he drove into her. One swift thrust and he was seated fully within her. Her eyes fluttered closed. Ben kissed her once more, before reaching behind her head to steady himself against the wall.

 

Ben rammed into her fast and deep. Rey moaned, struggling to keep her eyes open as the waves of pleasure swept through her. He gathered her legs up, wrapping them around his hips so he could find a better angle.

 

The moment he found it, he knew. Rey wailed like a cat in heat.

 

He kept one hand on her hips to prevent her from rising too far off the mattress, while his other wrapped around her neck. Ben wanted her to see him. He wanted her to know exactly who was taking care of her, who would be taking care of her from now on.

 

“Look at me, Rey,” he demanded, increasing the speed of his thrusts.

 

Her eyes were on him instantly, watching as he pistoned his hips, feeling how the bed bounced from their coupling. She keened when the hand holding her hip down shifted to stroke her clit.

 

Ben felt the pinch in his core. He pressed down on the sensitive spot just above where he was ramming into her tight center. They were lost in the frenzy of frantic kisses, creaky bed springs and their building climaxes.

 

Which was why neither noticed the time as they crashed over the peak.

 

Outside the apartment, fireworks shot off and clocks around the city chimed midnight. But nothing was loud enough to drown out the lovers’ cries, as they screamed out each other’s names in unison.

 

* * *

 

 

She was drifting on a cloud, pillowy soft and exceptionally comfortable. There was nothing restricting her, nothing to hold her down. Here she was free — free from judgement, free to go her own way, free to love.  
  


In the distance her phone chimed. Rey ignored it in favor of snuggling deeper into her sheets. They smelled like Ben, musky with a hint of pine. She pressed back, searching for the warmth of his body, only to find a void.  
  


Her eyes flashed open.  
  


Sure enough the spot next to her was empty and cooling. As her phone continued to ring from somewhere in the apartment, Rey scanned her room. His clothes were gone, along with his shoes and wallet. She listened for sounds of him in the shower or the kitchen, but all was silent, except for the incessant ringing. A hideous conclusion entered her mind.  
  


He was gone. She’d given him what he wanted and he’d left.  
  


Clutching her sheets to her chest, she blinked back the onset of tears.  
  


No, Ben wouldn’t abandon her. He wasn’t like her parents. He cared about her.  
  


Rey’s phone rang non-stop. On shaky legs, she made her way out to the living room, retrieving her cell from her crossbody bag.  
  


She answered without looking, on the verge of panic. “Hello? Ben?”  
  


“Rey! Peanut, are you ok?”  
  


She furrowed her brow in confusion. “Finn?”  
  


“Poe and I just saw it. We’re on our way over.”  
  


“What are you talking about? What did you see?”  
  


“The video of you two. It’s all over Channel 6,” her best friend explained. She could hear the sounds of Poe’s Mustang as the car made its way to her apartment. “The media is going crazy.”  
  


“About what?”  
  


“The wager,” he replied and Rey felt her blood run cold.  
  


She sunk to the floor, dropping her phone as she did. Even without it pressed to her ear, she heard him say what deep down in her heart, she already knew.  
  


“They announced Kylo’s victory this morning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Notes:  
> \- [The Waterfront](http://www.delawareriverwaterfront.com/)  
> \- [Halestorm](https://www.halestormrocks.com/)  
> (My favorite modern rock band next to Dorothy)  
> \- [Mz. Hyde](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2OD-dV7j_I)  
> (I'm going to write a Reylo fic about this song next Halloween)  
> \- [Beautiful with You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWz_c0wNeUg) (Song Ben picked for Rey)


	9. Here's to Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _To whatever's comin' our way_   
>  _Here's to us, here's to love_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from the Halestorm song (yep, another one).
> 
> Thank you to [Robyn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReyloRobyn2011/pseuds/ReyloRobyn2011/works) for betaing. And a special thank you to [JustAnotherSailorScout](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAnotherSailorScout/pseuds/JustAnotherSailorScout/works) for the gorgeous mood board. She made it for me and I wanted to save it for this final chapter.

Ben tapped his foot impatiently, checking his watch for the tenth time since he arrived. He hadn’t expected Dalessandro’s to be this full so early. Apparently everyone in the city had the same idea as him. As he waited for their sandwiches, his agitation grew with each passing minute.

 

Rey was going to be starving once she woke. He planned to sate her need for food before sating his need for her. A cheesesteak would serve as the perfect fuel for them. And if he decided to grab a six-pack of Lager on his way out, all the better. He intended to keep his girl all to himself today.

 

Now if only he could get their food and leave. He’d already been gone too long.

 

He’d ignored the white noise of the TV bolted to the wall, uninterested in how much of a mess the city was in due to the prior night’s festivities. It was the same every year. City Hall wanted residents and visitors to hang around the city, spending their money but complained when they had to hire additional clean-up crews afterwards. Typical political hypocrisy at its finest.

 

Along with the TV, Ben had been ignoring his phone. Luke had called at the ungodly hour of six, waking him up. When Ben let it go to voicemail, his uncle called right back, instead of leaving a message. Ben pointedly disregarded the calls. He’d deal with Luke later, when he had Rey by his side. They weren’t due to report into the station until tomorrow anyway.

 

But the calls kept coming.

 

Mitaka tried next, followed by Phasma, Hux and even his mother. Ben had finally tossed the sheets back from his side of the bed to get up. He showered, dressed and, after kissing her goodbye, walked to the restaurant to get their brunch.

 

If he had paid attention to any of his callers, he might have been prepared for the next story on the news.

 

“If you’re a fan of 104.5 the Force, then you have been following the wager of the decade. Even if you aren’t an avid listener of the station, you’ve probably heard the audio clip of Kylo Ren challenging Kira Kenobi on air.”

 

Ben’s attention snapped to the screen, just as his own words echoed through the small steak shop.

 

_What do you say, Kira? Up for a little fun?_

 

“Our own Tamala Edwards got a tip last night about the two radio personalities making an appearance at the end of year celebrations on the Delaware Waterfront. Tamala, over to you.”

 

“Thank you, John,” the newscaster smiled at her co-anchor before presenting her story. “Fans of _Kicking Back with Kira_ might be disappointed by their favorite radio host’s New Year’s plans. Kira Kenobi, or as she’s known off the air, Rey Niima, was spotted backstage in the VIP section of last night’s concert on the water with none other than her challenger, Kylo Ren.”

 

The screen flickered to a blurry video clip of him with Rey in his arms, swaying together to the Halestorm encore. It was difficult to make out their faces, until Rey turned around to kiss him.

 

_Shit._

 

“The two can be seen here, enjoying the final song of local Lzzy’s Hale’s set. They seem quite cozy for a pair of rivals, don’t you think? Even more interesting is this clip,” another low-quality video of him leading Rey out of the waterfront park, appeared on the screen. “This viewer submitted footage shows Kira and Kylo leaving the event early and getting into the same Uber.”

 

“For those of you who are unaware, Kylo’s real name is Ben Solo. As in Mayor Leia Organa-Solo. At this time, the Mayor’s office hasn’t provided us with a comment on her son’s relationship with Ms. Niima, but this reporter believes that Penn’s Landing wasn’t the only location to host fireworks last night. Congratulations, Kylo Ren.”

 

_Double shit._

 

Ben raged under his heavy peacoat. When he found out who had taken those videos, he was going to burn their homes to the ground…with them inside. He’d get his family’s lawyer involved, slap a slander lawsuit against the idiot, who thought it was a good idea to cross him, and then once the hype died down Ben was going to—

 

“Order up!” the cashier barked, holding up a bag with his number.

 

Ben grabbed the brown paper sack with one hand, using his other to slam a fifty down onto the counter. With their food tucked under his arm, he sprinted out of the restaurant to Rey’s apartment.

 

He only prayed she was still sleeping.

 

* * *

 

Rey saw the clips. They were everywhere. YouTube. Twitter. Tumblr. Instagram. Every social media outlet had them streaming. And because she was a sadist, she’d watched them both on repeat at least a dozen times before her vision blurred so completely that she couldn’t find the replay button.

 

She spiraled down, past rock bottom into an endless abyss of self-loathing and crippling disappointment.

 

_How could I be so stupid?_

 

Her phone sat forgotten on the floor of her living room. She was slumped against the back of the couch, heaving with each sob that erupted from her body.

 

She sunk further.

 

Rey couldn’t stop crying. Her chest hurt. Her head hurt. Everything hurt. Why did it hurt so much?

 

Suddenly Luke’s warning came back to her and the pain in her chest increased ten fold.

 

This was not how she imagined starting 2019. After all she’d shared with Ben, Rey thought things would be different. She’d stood up for him, put her career on the line to ensure he didn’t lose his, and all along he’d been playing her. She’d done everything he predicted she would. And in the end he’d left.

 

Just like her parents. Just like Saw. Just like Maz. She knew it was wrong to blame her foster parents at a time like this, but she was in pain. Too much pain to think rationally.

 

Rey hugged herself, a feeble attempt to contain her cries. Part of her yearned to call Jyn. Despite the fact her best friend was on his way, with Poe in tow, Rey needed her sister.

 

Her hand blindly skimmed the floor, searching for her phone, her vision still too hazy to make it out properly. Her knuckles knocked into the hard case, causing the device to skid out of reach and under her couch. Her frustration boiled over. She cried harder.

 

That was when she heard banging on her door.

 

She wiped her arm across her face, gathering her bedsheets around her tighter. She hadn’t bothered to pick herself off the floor long enough to get dressed. Finn would understand.

 

But it wasn’t Finn.

 

“Rey.”

 

She could only stare at him, a mixture of disbelief and horror on her face.

 

His face was flushed and he was panting, completely out of breath. Under his arm, he had tucked a brown bag, but she barely noticed it before her eyes grew watery.

 

Rey did _not_ want to see him right now. Correction. She didn’t want to see him and she didn’t want him to see her, or the state she was in.

 

Her body felt heavy, laden with sorrow and regret, as she backed up a step to shut the door.

 

“Rey, _please_.”

 

It was all he managed to get out before a fist came flying through the air, catching him square in the jaw.

 

She screamed. Whether out of surprise or fear, she couldn’t be sure.

 

“Come to gloat, asshole?” Finn spat out in anger.

 

One second Ben was standing before her and the next he was sprawled out in the hallway, his cargo next to him. Rey held onto her door frame, briskly wiping the tears from her eyes, while Poe reigned in his boyfriend.

 

“I didn’t-.”

 

“I knew you were a swarmy dick,” Finn cut Ben off, glaring at him.

 

“I wasn’t the one who-.”

 

“I warned you, Rey,” her best friend glanced over at her. “Didn’t I tell you to be careful?”

 

She couldn’t reply. Her throat was tight and raw from all her tears. She didn’t trust her voice, so she chose not to speak.

 

And then she saw the contents of the bag.

 

_Cheesesteaks._

 

Dalessandro’s cheesesteaks to be exact.

 

_Why would he—?_

 

“Wait!” Rey cried out, stumbling out of her apartment, still wrapped in her sheet. “Stop, Finn.”

 

All three men’s eyes went wide. “What are you doing here?” She directed her question to Ben.

 

“I never left,” he answered, rubbing his jaw. Finn’s hit was going to leave a mark. It was probably already swelling. “I mean, I did, but only to grab us something to eat.” He gestured to the spoiled brunch he’d purchased. “I didn’t want to be gone long, but I underestimated the city’s need for their favorite staple. We have good taste.” His lips started to turn upward, but then he winced and the attempt at a smile was gone.

 

“It is good hangover food,” Poe remarked nonchalantly. Apparently he was Switzerland.

 

“What about the clips?” Rey queried.

 

“I didn’t stage them, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Ben narrowed his eyes at Finn, his tone sharp. He brushed himself off as he straightened up to his full height. He turned to Rey. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’ll call the station. I’ll call my mother. I’ll find out who did this and I’ll-.”

 

“Ben, stop,” Rey demanded. He froze, a wounded expression cast over his face. Finn and Poe regarded her warily and for a moment everything was still in the corridor.

 

Then she offered her hand to Ben. “Just come inside.”

 

His face broke into a relieved grin. He gathered up the destroyed sandwiches. “I can go back and get us new ones,” he apologized sheepishly.

 

“I have cereal,” she waved him off and led him into her apartment. “I’ll call you guys later,” Rey informed Finn and Poe, avoiding their stunned looks.

 

She shut the door on her friends.

 

Poe began to softly chuckle. “Guess we should call off the reinforcements, huh? Cassian will be disappointed. He just lost fifty bucks. Don’t know why he keeps betting against Jyn.”

 

Finn merely glowered at the closed door.

 

“Come on, babe, let’s go home,” Poe tugged him away. “She’s in good hands.”

 

On the other side of the closed door, Rey allowed Ben to lead her across the floor. He readjusted her sheet toga, as she sat at the island counter which divided the living room from the kitchen. Ben tossed out their ruined sandwiches, before peeking into her fridge. He pulled out a few things she had, before grabbing a bag of frozen peas for his jaw. Her eyes followed his every movement, still stunned that he was here with her.

 

“You came back,” Rey breathed, watching him as he whipped up some eggs, one-handed.

 

“Of course I did,” he leaned across the kitchen counter to kiss her forehead. “I love you, Rey.”

 

She could feel her face fill with awe at his confession. She wondered if she was still asleep in bed. Was this all a dream? He’d spoke those words so naturally. “Y-you love me?”

 

“You think I’d march through the cold this early on New Year’s day to Dalessandro’s for just anybody?” he teased, but the wink told her he meant it.

 

Rey’s red-rimmed eyes filled with fresh new tears. Ben set down the pan on the back burner, quickly walking around to her side of the kitchen island. “Hey, sweetheart, hey, don’t cry.”

 

“I love you too,” she choked out, wrapping her arms around him.

 

Ben smirked, stroking her hair tenderly. She buried her face in his chest, thankful to be back in his orbit.

 

“I know.”

 

* * *

 

They didn’t leave her apartment the rest of the day, turning their cells off after the third time they were interrupted under her sheets.

 

When they finally untangled themselves from one another long enough to be presentable, it was Wednesday morning and they were due to report into the station.

 

Ben drove them in, while Rey typed away on her phone, trying to reply to the dozens of texts she’d received from her sister, Finn and Poe. She noted that her best friend and his boyfriend appeared to be on separate pages when it came to Ben, but she was sure Finn would come around.

 

He had to.

 

She’d made her choice.

 

There was comfort in that. Being with Ben felt good, it felt right. So when he took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers, she didn’t mind the fact neither one of them were wearing gloves or that they were about to confirm their coworker’s suspicions. She was sure Rose and Mitaka would corner her later to interrogate her.

 

Rey had suspected the station to be in an uproar. She hadn’t expected the barrage of questioning to be pointed at Elrik and Pyre. The two radio techs were cowering against the wall, as Gwen jabbed one of her perfectly manicured nails into Erik’s chest.

 

“Do you have any idea how many codes you violated? Did you even pause to consider how this would impact the station? Or were you too worried about your bank accounts to consider that?”

 

The platinum blonde went on, as Rey sent a silent prayer on high to whoever would listen, thankful she’d never been caught in their legal counsel’s crosshairs.

 

Aside of her, Ben tensed. “Phasma?”

 

Her icy blue eyes turned at the sound of his voice and the scowl momentarily fell off her face. “Ben, Rey, good morning,” she greeted them both professionally, straightening up and smoothing over her flawless pantsuit.

 

“What’s going on here?” Ben asked, cautiously, though Rey was sure he already suspected the reason for Gwen’s foul mood.

 

“These two,” she gestured to the technicians, “consider themselves opportunists. You have them to thank for the media slip-up.”

 

Rey wrapped herself around Ben’s arm. Her boyfriend — she blushed thinking about the title — had made some unsettling threats regarding the owner of the videos. Elrik and Pyre’s careers at The Force were not looking promising. Neither was their safety.

 

“You two?” Ben growled out.

 

She felt his muscles tighten under her hold. She readjusted her grip. Living in the city, she’d seen dogs, straining against their leashes to snap and bite at people passing by. That image of raw, untamed power came to her unbidden as she took in Ben’s expression. He was almost shaking with rage.

 

“Hey,” she tugged on his arm and cupped his jaw in her hand, forcing him to look at her. “Gwen is going to deal with them.” Rey turned to the lawyer. “Isn’t that right, Gwen?”

 

“Absolutely,” the blonde’s eyes narrowed, as she scanned the techs.

 

“See?” Rey consoled Ben. “It’s all being taken care of. Let it go.”

 

“They are the reason you-.”

 

“Ben,” she cut him off, keeping her voice low. “Please. We need to talk to Luke about your slot. Picking a fight with Elrik and Pyre isn’t going to help you.”

 

He stared at her, dark brown orbs locked on her hazel eyes. For a moment, she worried he would still attack them, but after another tense pause, he closed his eyes and sighed.

 

“Phasma, can you take them to your office?”

 

“We were on the way when you arrived,” she replied, a bit harsher than Rey thought was professional, but then again, Gwen had always been by the book. She obviously didn’t appreciate being ordered around.

 

“Thanks, Gwen,” Rey smiled at the other woman. “We’ll be in with Luke, if you need us.”

 

Rey stood in the station’s entryway, holding onto Ben, as Phasma led Elrik and Pyre away. It wasn’t until her door was closed that Rey proceeded to lead her boyfriend back to his uncle’s office in the corner.

 

She knocked when she noticed his door was shut.

 

“Come in.”

 

Ben stepped in front of her, ever the protector. She suspected his alpha male instincts were screaming louder since the culprits had been exposed, but she’d let him have this. It was better than the alternative.

 

“Ah, good morning,” Luke grinned.

 

Rey eyed him before glancing up at Ben. Luke seemed eerily calm, far calmer than he had been the last time they spoke.

 

“I figured I’d be speaking with you both this morning,” the radio manager commented. “Shut the door, Ben.”

 

Her boyfriend shot her an equally perplexed look, before he did as his uncle asked and they settled into chairs across from Luke.

 

“About my show,” Ben began.

 

“I’m transitioning it over to Rey,” Luke interrupted with a wave of his hand.

 

“Wait a goddamn minute!” Ben snapped, jumping out of his chair. Rey didn’t bother to hold him back this time. “You haven’t even given me a chance to pitch my ideas for this year.”

 

“It won’t change my mind, Ben. I’ve already decided,” Luke replied. “You two practically made the decision for me.”

 

They exchanged worried glances.

 

“I’ve been considering retirement for some time,” he continued. “But I wasn’t sure you were ready for the responsibility, Ben. It wasn’t until this past week I realized you only needed the proper motivation.” He nodded towards Rey. “I’m not sure if you’ve noticed how your content has changed since the two of you entered this...highly questionable, but apparently successful arrangement. And please allow me to be the first to officially congratulate you. I believe I speak for the entire station when I say, it’s about time.”

 

_What?!_

 

Rey scanned the room, sure she would find cameras hidden somewhere. Were they being punked? Was this Luke’s idea of a joke? Payback for giving him more white hair with their on-air antics?  

 

“So,” Ben drawled slowly, as he came to terms with what his uncle had divulged. “You chewed me out for making a wager with Rey, even though in the end it worked in your favor?”

 

“Essentially, yes,” Luke confirmed. Ben cursed under his breath, shaking his head. “I’ve been thinking up ways to get you two together since the holiday party last year. You both have such strengths, but you desperately need what the other has. Together you make an unstoppable team. It was just a matter of how to get you both to recognize that instead of constantly competing against each other.”

 

“Excuse me?” Rey struggled to remain calm. “You planned all this?”

 

Ben snorted, running a hand through his hair. “Of course he did,” her boyfriend muttered, sounding unimpressed. He sunk back into his seat.

 

“Not planned. More like took advantage of the situation,” Luke replied, studying them. “But that’s in the past. Let’s move forward. The three of us should start reviewing the transition plan.”

 

“You expect me to take over the station, Rey to take over my slot and just leave?” Ben growled. “Just like that?”

 

“I already have the contracts drafted,” Luke’s eyes glistened with mirth and confidence. “Happy New Year.”

 

* * *

 

**Two months later...**

 

“Oh come on! Where’s the defense! Ref are you blind? That was uncalled for!”

 

Ben chuckled, as he watched his girl screaming. She stomped her foot indignantly, murmuring a few choice words under her breath while her eyes followed the players skating across the ice.

 

When his mother had secured them tickets to the NHL Stadium Series, Ben decided it was the perfect venue. He’d been planning this moment since he first told Rey that he loved her. Over the past few weeks, he’d called in favors, some easier to ask for then others, but the end result would be worth it.

 

Between the second and third periods, Halestorm appeared on the stage, replacing the formerly signed entertainment. Rey gasped, eyes wide and waved at Lzzy and the band excitedly.

 

“I didn’t know they were performing!” she beamed, despite the chilly February weather.

 

Ben looped his arms around her, pressing his chest to her back. “Surprise, sweetheart.”

 

Rey’s song played first, followed by a couple of his personal favorites. Ben continued to hold her, glad he’d kept the box in his back pocket, so she didn’t accidentally bump into it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a group of familiar faces lingering at the end of their row.

 

Jyn stifled a laugh at her sister, while Finn rolled his eyes. Calling him had been one of the most difficult things Ben had ever done, but their five minute chat turned into an hour long conversation, resulting in them burying the hatchet. Speaking to his mother hadn’t been easy either. She roped him into weekly dinners, insisting that they needed to make up for lost time. Rey went with him every Friday and she held his hand the entire time.

 

He couldn’t have loved her more if he tried. Whatever came next for them, Ben knew as long as he had her at his side, they’d get through it.

 

When it was time for the band’s closing number, Ben released his girl, stepping away just enough to kneel down. Rey didn’t notice at first, too entranced by the performance. Even when the camera man appeared, she failed to realize what was happening.

 

Which made the surprise all the better.

 

“Oh my God!” Her gloved hands covered her mouth and her entire face went crimson. “Ben!”

 

“Rey Niima, I know on-air, I tell people no one cares and that’s because up until I met you, that’s how I felt,” he took her hand, slowly removing her glove so he could slide the ring on her finger. “But you’ve changed all that. I do care. About you. And I want to keep caring for the rest of my life.”

 

In hindsight, Ben realized he never actually asked her to marry him. But it didn’t matter. Rey was throwing herself into his arms, hugging him and crying into the nape of his neck while their friends and family surrounded them.

 

Lincoln Financial Field erupted in cheers, but all Ben could hear was Rey and her happy reply of “Yes!”

 

* * *

Rey's ring

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Told ya, I'd make it better!
> 
> Chapter Notes:  
> \- [Dalessandro’s](https://dalessandros.com/)  
> \- [City Hall](https://www.visitphilly.com/things-to-do/attractions/city-hall/)  
> \- [Channel 6 Action News Anchors](https://6abc.com/about/newsteam/)  
> \- [NHL Stadium Series](https://www.broadstreethockey.com/2019/2/1/18206859/philadelphia-flyers-pittsburgh-penguins-stadium-series-nhl-adidas-jersey)  
> \- [Halestorm](https://www.halestormrocks.com/) (Their song I Am the Fire is on the Kylo Ren Spotify Playlist)  
> \- [Here's to Us](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KC0DNLDXJW8) (Proposal Song)  
> \- [Lincoln Financial Field](http://www.lincolnfinancialfield.com/)  
> 

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas & Happy New Year, all!


End file.
